


Five Little Figures

by Malley



Category: Heavy Rain
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blayden to the rescue, Forcing Blake and Jayden to work together, I don't know why I ship them but I do, Implied Blayden but can be read as friendship, The Adventures of Carter Blake and Norman Jayden
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-07-29 07:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 31,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16259387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malley/pseuds/Malley
Summary: "Neither were certain how to react to the sight of five little but intricately folded origami figures staring back at them, along with a gun, a phone and a memory card..."Jayden and Blake come across the letter from the Origami Killer sent to Ethan, which leads them to the locker ticket and, in turn, the shoebox and origami figures. At Jayden's insistence, the two undertake the trials in an effort to save Shaun Mars. In other words, Blayden saves the day!





	1. The Letter

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I love Jayden and Blake, but I do. For some reason or another, while working on other projects, my muse decided to remind me of this fact and inspired me to write a "what if Blake and Jayden did the trials" fic. So, here we are :) I do love how they interact, though. Their dialogue is full of gold. Plus it was a good reason to play through the game again.

** Five Little Figures  
Chapter 1: The Letter **

Set in: Welcome, Norman!

* * *

 

_Police Department_

**Tuesday  
** **7:55pm  
**1.326 inches****

Norman Jayden watched Ethan Mars slump away, head down and shoulders sagging. Jayden frowned and folded his arms across his chest. _Guy looks so defeated_ , he considered. _There’s got to be more to the story besides his son disappearing._

“Last thing we need is for more work to be thrown at us when the fucking Origami Killer is on the loose,” Carter Blake grumbled with a dismissive huff. “Guy can’t even watch his kid and he expects us to solve the problem for him.”

He closed up the file containing the information about Shaun Mars’ disappearance and tossed the folder on top of the growing pile of paperwork and reports in the wire basket on the corner of his desk. Blake’s desk chair creaked as he leaned back in it, his eyes drifting up to the face of the FBI agent standing still and silent next to him.

“Hey, Earth to Jayden,” he said when he received no response.

Jayden said nothing, his focus entirely on Ethan Mars as the man weaved his way through the crowded and lively bullpen. A rookie officer was walking backward as he shouted something to his superior across the room, nearly crashing into Mars in the process. The uniformed officer apologized profusely to the distraught dad, who merely waved him off with as much of a smile as he could muster. The interaction itself was nothing spectacular; Jayden’s blue eyes were drawn to the envelope that slipped out of Mars’ pocket and fluttered to the floor. He hurried over to the spot where the letter dropped.

“Jayden, what the hell?” Blake threw his hands up, exasperated, as the agent walked off. “I was still talking to you!”

Jayden ignored the detective and kept walking, performing an intricate dance through the cluttered desks and endlessly moving individuals to reach the letter on the floor. Swiping the fallen envelope before his fingers could be stepped on, Jayden looked over the envelope. It was addressed to Ethan Mars, but did not have any indication of who the sender was; no name, no return address. There was a stamp in the corner, but there was no mark from the post office showing it had been processed. By all accounts, it could have simply been dropped into Ethan Mars’ mailbox by the sender.

Looking up, Jayden spied Mars as he rounded the corner to go out of the bullpen. He hustled after the man, holding the envelope out as if to hand it to him. Jayden halted when he saw Mars speaking with a tearful woman. She turned away from him briefly before storming back over, emotional and heartbroken.

“How could you lose Shaun like that?” she asked him. “You should never have taken your eyes off him!”

It was Mars’ turn to walk away from the conversation, but that did not deter the woman from continuing.

“For God’s sake, how hard is it to keep your eye on a child in the park?”

Jayden ducked back around the corner to avoid being spotted spying on the argument as Mars’ forlorn stare lingered in his direction.

“Why did you leave him, Ethan? Why?” the woman asked. “Wasn’t it enough losing Jason?”

_Losing Jason?_ The words echoed in Jayden’s mind. He tucked that information away for the time being and returned his attention back to the two individuals.

“I’m sorry…” the woman stared down at the floor. “That’s not what I meant to say.”

She brushed away some tears as she expressed how much she missed the Jason she had just spoken of. Mars said nothing, Jayden figuring it was the only way the man could keep it together.

Beginning a slow walk back to the bullpen, Jayden looked down at the envelope in his hands. _Ethan Mars’ address is listed right on the envelope,_ he thought. _I can drop it off later, after I leave for the night. I don’t want to interrupt right now; he seems to have enough on his plate already._

Jayden tucked the letter into his suit coat pocket and made his way toward his makeshift office at the back of the bullpen.


	2. Not For Glory

**Five Little Figures  
** **Chapter 2: Not for Glory**

_Police Department_

**Tuesday  
** **9:52pm  
**1.394 inches****

“What do you think he’s doing?” Ash asked Blake.

The two detectives stood in the open doorway of Jayden’s office, watching him flail about with his sunglasses on. Blake rested against the doorframe, a cup of coffee in his hands, observing the spectacle with a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Well, either he’s conducting an invisible symphony,” he replied. “Or he’s auditioning for a spot in the insane asylum. By the looks of it, I’d say he nailed it.”

Ash gave a small chuckle before giving Blake a pat on the shoulder and heading off. Blake let out a breath as he continued to watch the FBI agent. He lifted the mug to his lips to take a sip as Jayden made an exaggerated, somewhat frustrated looking, swipe with his right hand. The movement knocked some papers off of the desk, all of which landed on the floor a few feet away. Blake watched with mild interest to see if the falling papers would awaken the federal agent from whatever stupor those goggles on his head seemed to have him in. When they did not, the detective let out a sigh. He placed his mug on the edge of Jayden’s desk and proceeded to pick up the papers.

An open envelope with a small slip of paper peeking out from inside caught his eye. Blake scooped up the envelope and pulled the paper out.

“A locker ticket?” he murmured.

Blake read over the letter, frowning at the nonsense. He turned his attention back to the locker ticket. There was a picture of an angel statue imprinted on it.

“Jayden, what the hell is this?” Blake asked.

He looked up from the ticket. Jayden hadn’t heard him, as evidenced by his index finger pressing some invisible buttons in midair. Blake took the envelope and smacked Jayden’s shoulder with it. Jayden jerked at the hit, the abruptness of it causing him to subsequently remove his glasses.

“Blake?” the confusion was clearly written on his face. “What the hell?”

“This locker ticket,” Blake ignored the agent’s questioning look. “What is this?”

“Locker ticket?” Jayden repeated, eyes drifting down to the ticket and envelope in the detective’s hands. “Blake, what on Earth are you talking about?”

“Cut the shit, Norman.”

“Seriously, Blake, I have no idea what that ticket is,” Jayden removed his gloves. “Where did you get that, anyway?”

“It was on _your_ desk, Norman,” Blake replied, holding up the envelope.

Jayden managed to snag the envelope before Blake could pull it away.

“This belongs to Ethan Mars,” he explained.

Blake’s eyebrows jumped up in surprise.

“The guy with the missing kid from earlier?” he replied. “Wow, never would have pegged you for a pickpocket type of guy.”

“I didn’t steal it, Blake. Ethan Mars dropped it when someone nearly bumped into him as he was leaving. You didn’t see it because you were complaining about actually having to do work at your job.”

Blake opted to disregard Jayden’s quip.

“Sure, he dropped it; but why do _you_ have it?” he asked instead.

“Because, when I went to give it to him, I found him in a bit of an emotional discussion with a woman-whom I can only assume is the missing boy’s mother-and didn’t want to interrupt. I figured he already had enough to deal with with the grief she was giving him about the situation.”

“You’re such a little boy scout,” Blake said with a shake of the head.

Jayden ignored him and looked over the locker ticket.

“What else was in here?” he asked Blake.

“There was a letter. Some cryptic bullshit.”

Jayden pulled the letter out of the envelope and looked it over, pausing to take a discreet and brief glance up at Blake, who was watching him with a prominent frown on his face, arms folded across his chest. _He’s probably pissed he can’t figure out what the letter means_. The agent shoved those thoughts aside and returned to his examination of the letter and ticket.

_“When the parents came home from church,_  
_All their children were gone._  
_They searched and called for them,_  
_they cried and begged_  
_but it was all to no avail._  
_The children have never been seen again.”_

_Hmm,_ Jayden considered. _Definitely cryptic. But a letter about missing kids? That can’t be a coincidence._ The agent turned his attention to the locker ticket.

“Do you know where this ticket is from?” Jayden eventually asked.

He lifted up the ticket to show Blake, the agent’s eyes still glued to the letter in his other hand.

“Lexington Station,” Blake replied. “See that angel statue? That’s where it’s located. They put it on all the stuff from the station, so it’s become the station’s unofficial symbol.”

“All right, then,” Jayden folded up the letter. “Let’s go.”

Blake watched as the federal agent made his way toward the door.

“Go where?” he asked.

“Lexington Station, where else?” Jayden replied matter-of-factly.

Blake let out a humorless laugh of disbelief.

“What the hell for?” he asked. “To go rummaging around in some guy’s locker at the train station?”

“I don’t know what this letter means but something tells me that this is significant and relevant to the Origami Killer case,” Jayden said.

Blake opened his mouth to retort, but Jayden cut him off.

“Listen, Blake, I know you’re not thrilled about having a federal agent here-” Jayden didn’t flinch when Blake scoffed. “But I’m not here to take away your glory of eventually identifying and capturing the Origami Killer; I’m here to prevent the deaths of any more innocent children. I think this ticket is an important lead. You can come with me and investigate it, or you can sit here and drink that shit the department tries to pass off as coffee. We can either work together or we can argue and waste time and give the killer an opportunity to abduct and possibly kill another victim. You’ve been chasing this guy for what, two years, and what have you caught, huh? Nothing! Abso-fuckin-lutely nothing! So, what’ll it be, Blake? What’s your choice?”

The edges of Blake’s mouth twitched. _Shit. I just poked the bear,_ Jayden exhaled through his nose. _But if the Mars kid was taken by the Origami Killer, I can’t care about pissing off Blake. Besides, ‘pissed off’ seems to be his permanent mood anyway._

Blake eventually motioned toward the doorway.

“Fine. After you, your highness,” he said to Jayden with an exaggerated wave of his hand.


	3. Ticket to Ride

**Five Little Figures  
** **Chapter 3: Ticket to Ride**

_ Lexington Station _

**Tuesday  
 **10:34pm  
 **1.416 inches******

Despite the lateness of the hour, Lexington Station was bustling with people. Jayden and Blake stood at the entryway of the train station, frowning at the endless sea of people in front of them.

“I hate crowds,” Blake muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Gee, Blake, and here I thought you were a people person,” Jayden remarked.

Blake shot him a look, which Jayden ignored. He glanced around, searching for the locker room. Squinting his eyes, Jayden could make out a sign on the wall across the station that read “Luggage Lockers.”

“There,” he pointed out the sign for Blake to see.

The detective motioned for Jayden to lead the way. The trip through the crowd was uneventful, with the two law enforcement agents murmuring “‘cuse me,” and “pardon me” like broken records as they bobbed and weaved through the unending mob of people. 

“I fucking hate crowds,” Blake grumbled yet again.

Jayden had lost count on how many times the detectives had muttered that same phrase while en route to the locker rental room.

“I don’t know, they’re not all bad,” Jayden said, looking over his shoulder at Blake. “Have you ever people-watched?”

“People watch?” Blake repeated. “What the hell do I look like to you? Some nosy old biddie with nothing else to do in her life that she goes out and watches random people?”

_ Well, if the shoe fits,  _ Jayden thought, but ultimately decided to keep it to himself.

“I guess maybe it’s a profiler thing, then, watching and learning about people,” he said instead.

“Let’s just look for the frickin’ locker,” Blake said with a grumble.

The two law enforcement agents took a few more steps forward before coming to a halt. The entryway to the locker rental room was through a metal detector.  _ If we set off the metal detector with our service weapons and the Origami Killer is watching us, we’ll stand out like a sore thumb _ , Jayden considered. He pulled his gun from its holster and handed it to Blake, who raised a furry gray eyebrow at him. 

“I highly doubt you’re handing this to me because you’ve decided to give up law enforcement and get out of my hair,” he said, discreetly shoving the weapon in his waistband.

“Of course not, Blake; I know you’d miss me too much,” Jayden replied. “I figure if the Origami Killer is watching us, the last thing we need is to draw more attention to ourselves by setting off the metal detector and then having to explain our presence to the station officials, which will also cost us precious time in our investigation.”

“Whatever,” Blake said. “I’m going to check out those cinnamon rolls at the station bakery.”

The detective spun on his heel before Jayden could offer a retort. Jayden watched Blake disappear into the crowd momentarily before resurfacing a few feet away in front of the bakery counter. Jayden then fished the locker ticket from his pocket and headed through the metal detector into the room. The metal detector did not make a peep.

“All right,” Jayden studied the ticket. “Locker 3, Row 18.”

Returning the ticket to his pocket, the agent began walking through the rows of lockers. He murmured the locker number and row to himself as he scanned the rows, searching for the one indicated on the ticket. 

“Row 16...Row 17...ah, here we are, Row 18,” Jayden said to himself.

Pulling the ticket out once again, the agent located Locker 3 on the top row. He imputed the combination listed on the ticket in the keypad and the locking mechanism clicked. Jayden pulled the locker door open and peered inside. His neutral, though somewhat curious, expression was instantly replaced with a frown.

“A shoebox?” Jayden scratched the back of his head. “First the letter, now a shoebox?”

He read over the locker ticket once again, reaffirming the fact that he hadn’t, in fact, accidentally misread it and stumbled upon some random person’s shoebox that was stowed away in the locker for safekeeping.

“Locker 3, Row 18,” Jayden sighed. “Yep, this is it.”

He took the box from the locker, shutting the door once it was securely in his grasp. Jayden then tucked the box under his arm, hidden by his coat, and made his way out of the locker rental room to search for Blake. He found the older detective leaning back against the wall near the locker rental room, wiping his hands in a napkin.

“So,” Blake addressed Jayden as the agent approached. “What did you find?”

“Well, besides finding you with icing in your beard,” Jayden said, causing Blake’s hand to whip up to his mouth with a napkin. 

He withdrew the box from beneath his coat just enough for Blake to see. Blake’s frown was prominent as he wadded up the used napkin into a ball and tossed it like a basketball into the trashcan behind Jayden a few feet away. 

“What is that?” he asked.

“A shoebox,” Jayden replied.

He knew those kind of responses to Blake were equivalent to taunting a tiger while wearing a suit of meat, but he couldn’t resist. It made the gravity of the investigation into the Origami Killer a little lighter and easier to swallow.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Blake grumbled. “But what is it?”

“I don’t know,” Jayden tucked the box back under his coat as some people walked by. “I think it’s better to return to the department before we open this, just in case there’s something inside that should be for law enforcement’s eyes only.”

“Fair enough. Let’s go.”

The two law enforcement agents then fought their way back out of Lexington Station, the shoebox of mystery under Jayden’s coat guarded between them.


	4. Playing the Game

** Five Little Figures  
Chapter 4: Playing the Game **

_Police Department_

**Wednesday  
**12:44am  
**1.494 inches******

Arriving back at the police department, Jayden led Blake straight into his makeshift office. He placed the shoebox on the desk while Blake shut the door to the office.

“All right,” Blake said. “Open ‘er up.”

Jayden gave the detective a nod and let out a breath as he placed his fingers on either side of the box lid. He removed the lid at a snail’s pace, the slowness of his movements causing Blake to roll his eyes, something Jayden caught out of the corner of his eye. Placing the lid aside on his desk, Jayden examined the contents. Blake came over to stand beside him and do the same. Neither were certain how to react to the sight of five little but intricately folded origami figures staring back at them, along with a gun, a phone and a memory card.

“Origami figures,” Jayden whispered. “It _is_ from the Origami Killer; it can’t be a coincidence!”

“There are no such things of coincidences,” Blake said.

“That must mean that Shaun Mars _was_ taken by the Origami Killer.”

Jayden’s heart sank. He looked at the detective out of the corner of his eye. Blake’s mouth was set in a thin, firm line, his expression grim.

“If that’s the case, then we have about, based on the current weather patterns, three days to find him,” the detective said.

“We have to send this stuff down to the lab for analysis-” Jayden stopped speaking when he found Blake shaking his head. “Why not? This is critical evidence!”

“I know you’re probably used to your fancy, high-tech labs back in Quantico that would make those tv crime drama labs look like a junior high science lab,” Blake said. “But we have a backlog that goes back for _months._ This evidence probably won’t be looked at for a long, long while. It sucks and makes our jobs that much harder, but that’s the truth. It’s the truth all across America, Jayden.”

“Can’t you pull some strings? Put a rush on it? Time is critical; Shaun Mars has only days to live.”

“You don’t think I know that? Putting a rush on it won’t make a difference. It’ll still take more time than we have to find the kid.”  
Jayden closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. _I won’t let Shaun Mars die. I won’t let the Origami Killer get away with taking the life of yet another innocent boy. There has to be_ something _we can do._

“So, what do you suggest?” Jayden asked.

“We investigate the evidence ourselves,” Blake said, reaching into the box. “We can’t just stare at the stuff and admire how pretty it all is; we need to examine it and come up with whatever leads we can.”

Jayden’s hand shot out and grabbed Blake’s wrist, earning a glare from the detective.

“Please, at least wear gloves so we don’t contaminate the evidence,” he said.

Blake stared at Jayden for another moment before yanking his wrist from agent’s grasp. He stalked out of the office and returned a few minutes later with gloves. Blake threw a set a Jayden, the latter juggling them briefly after barely managing to catch them. After both law enforcement agents put their gloves on, Jayden motioned for Blake to commence his examination.

Blake pulled the handgun from the box and looked it over. He grabbed a scrap piece of paper from off of Jayden’s desk, along with a pen, and began jotting down pertinent details about the weapon. Jayden fished out the phone and memory card, inserting the card into the phone. He was immediately greeted with a fuzzy video obscured by a loading screen.

“Blake, come take a look at this,” Jayden said, not taking his eyes off the phone screen.

The two officers watched as the video panned over a grate covering a large hole in the ground, raining heavily pouring all around it. The camera zoomed in to the face of a child, the boy crying out for his father, before turning into static. The static was then replaced with a message: _How far are you prepared to go to save someone you love?_ That message faded and a new one took its place. _Five origami figures. Each figure is a trial. Each trial provides letters. The letters reveal an address._

“Each figure is a trial? Each trial provides letters?” Blake repeated. “He’s turned this into some fucking game!”

“It’s a game, yes, but it’s also a chance to save Shaun Mars,” Jayden pointed out.

“You really want to encourage this sick fuck by playing his little game?”

“What other choice do we have, Blake? If you have any suggestions, please, share with the rest of the class; I’m all ears!”

Blake whirled around, fists on his waist. He let out an annoyed puff of air from his nose that almost resembled a snort. Jayden waited a few seconds before setting the phone aside and looked over the origami figures in the shoebox. _Each one is labeled with a number,_ he noted. _If each figure holds some sort of trial, the number must be the order the killer wants them to be completed in._ Jayden pulled out the figure marked “1”, the bear.

The sound of paper crinkling in the otherwise silent room caught Blake’s attention and his curiosity made him peek over his shoulder back at Jayden. The FBI agent studied the message inside. Blake shuffled over and read over his shoulder.

_ARE YOU PREPARED TO SHOW COURAGE TO SAVE YOUR SON?  
 _JOE’S GARAGE AND PARKING LOT 4988 Roosevelt Avenue Lexington__

Along with the message, the unfolded origami also produced a ticket. The two law enforcement agents studied the ticket for a brief moment before Blake abruptly departed the office. Before Jayden could protest, Blake returned with an evidence bag. Jayden said nothing as he placed the former bear origami figure into the evidence bag, his eyes meeting Blake’s in a silent ‘thank you.’

“Blake-” he started to say.

The detective cut him off with a wave.

“If the Origami Killer wants to play a game, let’s give him the toughest fucking fight of his life,” he said.

Jayden gave Blake a nod in agreement. _Just hold on, Shaun,_ he thought as he followed Blake out of the office. _We’re coming for you._


	5. Fasten Your Seatbelts

**Five Little Figures  
** **Chapter 5: Fasten Your Seatbelts**

_ Joe’s Garage and Parking Lot  
 _4988 Roosevelt Avenue, Lexington_ _

**Wednesday  
 **7:31am  
 **1.7 inches******

After getting little more than a few hours of sleep, Jayden and Blake met up at the police department before driving out to the address listed on the bear figurine, Joe’s Garage and Parking Lot. The garage was dimly lit, but it did nothing to hide the grime that built up after years of vehicle maintenance and cars coming to and fro. It was primarily devoid of people, save for a pair of feet sticking out from beneath a dingy white van. 

“Excuse me,” Jayden started to say.

He waited but received no response from the owner of the feet. Blake stepped forward and nudged one of the legs with his foot. This caught the mechanic’s attention and he slid out from beneath the vehicle. 

“Oh, ah, sorry, didn’t see you,” he said as he sat up. “What can I do for you?”

“Agent Norman Jayden, FBI,” Jayden introduced himself before thumbing to Blake next to him. “And this is Lieutenant Carter Blake.”

“Nice to meet you both,” the mechanic replied. “What brings you folks by?”

Jayden handed the mechanic the ticket contained in an evidence bag. He frowned as he took the bag from the FBI agent.

“Is there some sort of trouble?” he asked, handing the ticket back to Jayden.

“Possibly,” the agent replied. “What can you tell us about this ticket?”

The mechanic, Roy, pushed himself up, brushing his hands off on his overalls as he stood up. He motioned for Jayden and Blake to follow him.

“Honestly, I forgot that car was even here until you showed me that ticket,” Roy said as he walked toward the office across the garage, the two officers following behind. “That car’s been there for two years!”

“Two years?” Jayden repeated, looking at Blake and gauging his reaction.

Blake appeared as surprised as the federal agent.

“You sure about that?” the detective asked.

“Positive,” the mechanic opened the door to the office and stepped inside. “We took it out for a drive every month and checked the tires and batteries, just like requested. Other than that, it just sits here. Outta sight, outta mind, you know?”

“You said the monthly drive and maintenance was requested,” Jayden said. “Who requested it?”

He and Blake came to stand at the counter while Roy headed over to a board in the office lined with various sets of keys.

“Don’t know. Some guy brought it in back then. He handed us a sheet of paper with instructions to take the car for a monthly drive and basic maintenance and a wad of cash. We asked him for some information for the intake form, but he refused. Thought he might be mute or something. Well, it doesn’t really matter, I guess. Every six months, an envelope with more cash is found in the mailbox with the same instructions. Can’t argue as long as the payments keep coming,” he returned to the counter and held out a key for Jayden and Blake. “Sorry I can’t tell you much more; didn’t really think much of it. Thought he might have been a businessman who travels a lot or something. Well, anyway, here’s the key. It’s the third floor down. The service elevator is at the far end of the garage.”

“Thanks,” Jayden said as Blake accepted the keys.

“Yeah, thanks for nothing,” the detective muttered to himself, though the agent could still hear him.

With a shake of his head, Jayden made his way toward the service elevator on the opposite side of the garage. Blake caught up with him, stepping into the elevator with him after the doors opened. The ride down to the third floor was silent, both law enforcement agents lost in their own thoughts. 

With a clang, the elevator doors opened and Jayden and Blake exited, stepping out onto the cold concrete floor. The third floor was packed with cars of various colors, makes and models. Jayden and Blake stood in front of the elevator, surveying the endless sea of vehicles. The FBI agent pulled the ticket out of his pocket and read over the location of the vehicle in question.

“Says Lot 3, Spot 19,” Jayden read aloud.

Blake held up the keys and hit the “unlock” button. A pair of headlights flashed toward the back of the lot.

“There,” Blake pointed, the keys chingling against each other.

Arriving at the car, a 1995 Pontiac Sunfire, Jayden cupped a hand over his eyes as he tried to peer inside the darkened and tinted windows of the car in the already gloomily-lit lot. Blake made his way around to the driver’s side and opened the door, sliding into the seat. Finding Blake already in the vehicle, Jayden pulled on the handle of the passenger’s side but found it locked. He rapped on the window with his knuckle to get the detective’s attention. Blake looked up from the steering wheel at him, but did not immediately move to unlock the passenger’s side.

“Open the door, Blake,” Jayden demanded with a huff.

It took another moment, but Blake ultimately unlocked the door, flicking the button on the driver’s side door. Jayden slid into the seat next to him.

“Did you already forget my speech on the whole ‘let’s work together’ thing?” he asked. 

“Keep your panties on, Norman,” the detective said with an eye roll. “Why don’t you take a break from annoying me and do something useful like look for clues?”

Jayden checked the sun visor above the passenger’s seat and Blake did the same with the driver’s side. Finding nothing of interest, the detective reached down into the open compartment in the driver’s side door. His fingers came into contact with cold plastic.

Jayden flipped the sun visor back up and turned his attention to the glove compartment. He grabbed the handle and tugged, but found the compartment locked. Jayden turned to Blake to ask about a possible glove compartment key on the keyring from the mechanic, but stopped when he saw something in the detective’s hands.

“What’s that?” 

“Looks like a GPS unit,” Blake said.

Jayden waited for the detective to elaborate, but he said nothing further.  _ I think I’ve seen criminals in interrogations more willing to share information than Blake,  _ Jayden mused.

“Where did you find it?” he prompted.

“In the driver’s side door pocket,” Blake replied.

“Try plugging it in here,” Jayden motioned toward the GPS clip on the dashboard.

Blake did as Jayden suggested and attached the unit to the clip and nothing happened. As if trying to beat Jayden before he could instruct him on what to do next, the detective reached out and pressed the screen, activating the device. 

“Your destination is four miles from here,” the GPS unit chirped.

Jayden’s eyebrows rose in surprise and intrigue. He looked over at Blake and found the detective leaning over, pulling the seatbelt across his body. Blake glanced up at Jayden as he clicked his seatbelt into the lock.

“Well?” he asked.

“Well what?” Jayden asked in response.

“What are you waiting for?”

“What do you mean, what am I waiting for?”

“This car isn’t going anywhere until you fasten your seatbelt,” Blake said.

Jayden stared at the detective across from him. He considered making a snide comment but opted to silently reach for his seatbelt. Once Jayden was locked in, Blake inserted the key into the ignition and the car purred with life. He put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking spot, en route to the destination programmed into the GPS.


	6. The Fast and the Frightened

** Five Little Figures  
Chapter 6: The Fast and the Frightened **

_Highway_

**Wednesday  
**11:03am  
**1.938 inches******

“You have reached your destination,” the GPS informed the two law enforcement agents.

Jayden and Blake looked out the window and observed the busy highway before them, though it was somewhat obscured by the buckets of rain thundering down.

“Okay, so where exactly _is_ our destination?” Jayden mused aloud.

Blake had opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the GPS unit.

“Are you ready to show courage in order to save your son?”

Both men glued their attentions to the directional device.

“Listen carefully,” the GPS unit continued. “Take the highway and drive against the traffic for five miles. If you haven’t reached your destination in five minutes, you will have failed.”

There was a heavy, nearly tangible silence that filled the car after the GPS unit finished spouting instructions for the first trial. Blake was the first one to break the silence.

“Is this a sick joke?” he asked. “Driving the wrong way down a busy highway for five miles in under five minutes? Do you have any idea how fucking fast you’d have to go to do that?”

“I can do the math, Blake,” Jayden replied.

“There’s no fucking way we’re doing this-”

“What choice do we have?”

Blake looked Jayden directly in the eye.

“What choice do we have?” he repeated. “What do you mean, what choice do we have? You’re not seriously considering taking on this psycho’s challenge, are you?”

“Unless you’re a hangman champion and can figure out the address where Shaun Mars is being held without any letters, then our hands are pretty much tied,” Jayden said. “I know this is exactly what the Origami Killer wants and we’d be playing into his hands but Shaun Mars has days to live. We have no other leads and this one is practically being served to us on a silver platter.”

“But it’s risking the lives of anyone out on the road!” Blake slammed a hand against the steering wheel.

“And here I thought you weren’t a people person.”

“Not now, Norman!”

Jayden let out a breath. _I have no idea what to say. We’re screwed either way. If we don’t do the trial, we risk Shaun Mars dying. If we go ahead with the challenge, we could kill someone or kill ourselves. Someone’s probably going to die no matter what we do. It’s quite the pickle._

Jayden turned his head to look out the passenger’s side window. He exhaled slowly.

“Blake,” Jayden started to say, his attention still out the window. “Have you ever played any video games?”

He could see Blake turning to look at him in the reflection of the window. He had to stifle a laugh at the utterly confused expression on the detective’s face.

“Have you lost the few marbles you already had left, Norm?” Blake retorted. “What the hell does video gaming have to do with anything?”

“I’ve played a lot of games in my time,” Jayden said. “I spent countless hours practicing and perfecting games like Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing; this is going to be difficult, Blake, but I think that this can be done.”

Blake let out a laugh of disbelief.

“You’re kidding, right?” he said. “This is just some stupid joke you’re trying to pull to lighten the mood, right?”

Jayden turned from the window and looked directly at Blake. The detective’s hint of a smile instantly faded at seeing the stoic expression on the agent’s face.

“I’m sorry, Norman,” Blake said. “I take back what I said about you having a few marbles left in that head of yours; they’re obviously all gone!”

“I’m serious, Blake!” Jayden said. “I think I can do this.”

“No way-”

“There’s no way _you_ can do this. I mean, you drive like you’re 100 years old! Seriously, I don’t think we even reached the speed limit the entire way over here!”

“There is no way I’m doing this,” Blake declared. “I was sworn to protect and serve, not swerve and bounce you off my windshield!”

“Fine,” Jayden unbuckled his seatbelt. “Then you can stand out in the downpour and wait while I complete the first trial to try and save Shaun Mars’ life.”

Blake’s hand shot out to grab Jayden’s wrist before he could release the seatbelt. Jayden tried his best not to wince at the death grip the detective had on him.

“If you do this, and that is a huge _if_ , you are not doing this without me,” Blake said. “How in the hell do you think you’re going to drive in the pouring rain at a hundred miles an hour while trying to avoid hitting and killing someone who’s just trying to drive off to work? You might be able to do it on a video game when there’s no real risk except for some stupid pixelated character getting mowed down, but not in real life, Jayden. I’m going with you because, if you’re going to do this, you’re going to need all the help you can get not to add even more to the already too-high body count.”

“Fair enough.”

Blake released Jayden’s hand and both officers got out of the vehicle. Crossing in front of the front of the car, the detective put his hand out, stopping Jayden in his tracks when he felt Blake’s hand collide with his chest.

“Whatever you do,” he said, his voice low. “ _Do not_ fuck this up.”

“That’s the plan,” Jayden said.

It took all of his concentration not to let his voice betray the anxiousness he felt. His heart was pounding and his mouth was dry. _Dad always wondered why I spent all that time playing video games, saying it wouldn’t get me anywhere in life; if I manage to do this, boy, will I have a story to share over Christmas dinner._

Blake removed his hand from Jayden’s chest. They continued on to their new seats in the car, Jayden sliding into the driver’s seat and Blake into the passenger’s. Blake immediately buckled his seatbelt and Jayden did the same.

“Safety first,” he said as he clicked the belt into the lock.

“Just drive,” Blake grumbled.

Gripping the steering wheel, Jayden stared out at the highway. _Well, it’s do or die...though, in this case, it’s probably more likely to be do_ and _die._

Putting the car in gear, Jayden directed the vehicle toward the nearest exit. Rounding the curve to the main street, he slowed to a stop. The pounding of his heart nearly matched the flailing rhythm of the windshield wipers, which were set to the highest speed to combat the steady rainfall. After a minivan on the main street passed by, Jayden hit the gas and the car lurched forward in the direction of the off-ramp of the highway. The WRONG WAY signs protested the car’s passage, but Jayden kept his foot firmly on the gas pedal.

Blake’s eyes drifted toward the speedometer as Jayden entered the freeway, their speed quickly climbing. He braced himself against the dashboard and clenched his jaw in anticipation of the near misses that were sure to be forthcoming.

“Car at ten o’clock!” Blake shouted, pointing to the oncoming vehicle.

Jayden swerved to the right out of the car’s path, earning a blaring honk from the other vehicle.

“Sorry!” Jayden called to the other driver.

“They can’t hear you, dumbshit!” Blake smacked his shoulder. “Focus on the road!”

The agent weaved in and out of the oncoming cars and managed to rein in the vehicle to slide in between two incoming tractor trailers.

“You still have four miles to go before you reach your destination,” the GPS unit announced.

Jayden jumped at the sound, narrowly avoiding a sedan hurtling toward them. Their tires ran over a puddle that had collected on the highway and they fishtailed. Blake smacked a hand against the passenger’s side window and the dashboard to stabilize himself as Jayden struggled to regain control over the spinning car.

“Jayden, I swear to fucking god that you better straighten this car out!” the detective growled.

“Or what?” Jayden yelled back. “Not much you can really threaten right now, Blake!”

The agent straightened the wheel out and the car was back on track going the wrong way down the highway.

“Watch out!” Blake shouted. “There’s a guy fixing his car, nine o’clock!”

Jayden’s eyes darted over to the side of the road to the man outside of his vehicle, working on a flat tire. He pulled the steering wheel to the right to avoid clipping the innocent motorist. After barely missing the bystander, Jayden immediately had to swerve to the left to dodge another truck, which led him directly into and through a construction barrier. The barrier snapped like a wishbone from a Thanksgiving turkey, shattering into splinters that shot across the road.

“You just drove into a construction site!” Blake pointed a shaking finger at the road in front of them.

“Gee, next time I know I’m going to do ludicrous speed down a highway the wrong way, I’ll be sure to check the traffic reports!” Jayden grumbled.

He whipped the wheel to the right to skate by a construction worker. Jayden repeated the motion, avoiding two more construction workers.

“You still have three miles to go before you reach your destination,” the GPS unit informed the two officers.

“Ah, fuck,” Blake muttered.

“What now-” the words died in Jayden’s throat as he determined what it was that the detective was looking at.

No more than fifteen seconds away was a toll booth. Jayden cringed. _How the hell am I supposed to fly through there without killing anyone, including us?! Fuck!_

Jayden’s grip on the steering wheel tightened again, his knuckles turning white and the plastic of the wheel cracking under his fingers. The toll booth lines were claustrophobic even when driving at a snail’s speed; flying through it at the current rate of speed would be nearly impossible.

“You still have two miles to go before you reach your destination.”

“Not helping!” Jayden swore to himself as the GPS unit chirped again.

Jayden identified an empty lane and sped toward it, the retracting arm barrier exploding into pieces as it struck the vehicle.

“Watch out for the cops!” Blake roared.

Jayden whipped the wheel to the right and dodged the police car that was just beyond the toll booth. Their speeding vehicle going the wrong way down the highway caught the attention of the police cars as they whizzed by. The cruisers turned on their lights and sirens and gave chase.

“Oh, great,” Jayden murmured as he saw the reflection of the police lights in the rearview mirror.

Blake released one hand from the dashboard and began fishing around in his pocket.

“What are you doing?” Jayden asked, catching Blake’s movements out of the corner of his eye.

He pushed the gas pedal down further, increasing his speed as the troopers tailed them.

“Getting my badge,” Blake said. “We need to get them off our backs-”  
   
“No time!” Jayden said.

“You still have one mile to go before you reach your destination,” the GPS added.

“Shut that thing up!” Jayden squawked.

A cop car approached their vehicle from the left, attempting a PIT maneuver. Jayden yanked the wheel to avoid the hit, sparks lighting up for an instant as the cop car scraped against their vehicle. The police car diagonally behind Jayden and Blake also swerved to avoid being hit by the PIT maneuver and ended up fishtailing and spinning out. Blake hissed and winced as he watched the scene behind him in the sideview mirror.

“Don’t worry about them, Blake,” Jayden clenched his teeth. “Worry about us!”

Blake looked up from the side mirror and found two trucks barreling toward them. Jayden slid between the two massive vehicles, earning yet even more angry honks.

“You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me!” the agent groaned.

They hurtled toward a police barricade. The rain seemed to have increased in velocity, downpouring even harder than before and thus diminishing visibility even moreso. Jayden squinted, trying to make out whatever he could between the pouring rain and flashing lights from the police cars set up at the barricade.

“There’s no way we can get through those squad cars!” Blake shouted.

There were three police cars spread out across the highway forming a barrier, presumably in response to reports of a maniac driving the wrong way down the highway when they first started this charade.

“We don’t have much choice…” Jayden’s voice trailed off, returning his focus on to the road ahead.

He exhaled a breath through his nose before gunning it straight through the parked police cars. Blake craned his neck around the back of the seat to look at the cars as they passed by.

“Well, there goes my chance at retiring from the department with a pension,” he muttered.

Jayden opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the detective swearing again.

“What’s wrong now?” Jayden asked.

“That’s Officer Sanderson out there,” Blake said.

“And?”

“He trained as a sharpshooter in the army.”

“So?”

“He’s pointing a fucking gun at us to shoot out our fucking tires!”

“Oh.”

The words had barely left Jayden’s lips when there was a resounding BOOM as a rear tire was shot out, followed by the feeling of the car losing control. Jayden did what he could to combat the fishtail, but, ultimately, he was unable to and the speeding vehicle jumped the guardrail.

“If this fall doesn’t kill us, I’m going to-” Blake started to growl, halting his threat as he braced himself for impact.

Jayden mirrored the detective, releasing the steering wheel and shielding his face from the impending crash. The car took a nosedive down the hill and skittered to a stop upside down.

“Owwww!” Jayden’s breath hitched.

Everything hurt. He pushed his hands against the roof of the car, which, since they were upside down, was now the floor.

“Blake, you okay?” Jayden asked. “Blake?”

There was no response from the detective in the passenger’s seat. His eyes were closed and he hung lifelessly in his seat, only kept from falling by his seatbelt. Jayden reached over and checked his pulse, releasing a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding when he found the detective did, in fact, still have one. Before he could work to get Blake out of the car, Jayden lurched forward and ducked as an explosion rocked the car. He could see smoking rising in the mirror. _Great. Now the car’s on fire. Absolutely great._

“Destination reached. Please press the screen,” the GPS unit chirped.

“Of course _you’re_ undamaged,” Jayden grumbled.

He tried to ignore the electronic device, but it kept repeating the message. Jayden punched the screen, which, thankfully, the GPS unit accepted as “pressing the screen.”

“Your reward is in the glove compartment. The key is inside the GPS.”

“Inside the GPS?” Jayden repeated. “Oh, I’m gonna enjoy this.”

Ripping the unit off of the clip on the dashboard, the agent braced himself against the roof with one hand and used the other to bash the unit. It took a few tries, with the fading adrenaline zapping Jayden’s strength, but the GPS unit broke open and a key fell out, clanging against the roof. Throwing the broken unit aside, Jayden grabbed the key and, shifted over toward Blake as much as he could to reach the glove compartment.

“Mmnghh,” Blake mumbled.

“Wakey, wakey, Blake,” Jayden said, working on sliding the key into the glove compartment keyhole.

He unlocked the glove compartment and a memory card flew out. Jayden scooped it up from the roof and tucked it under the wristband of his watch for safekeeping for the moment.

“Norm?” Blake groaned, starting to come around.

“I’m working on getting us outta here, Blake, just sit tight,” Jayden said.

He tried unlocking his seatbelt with one hand, but found the belt wouldn’t budge. _Well, shit_. Pulling his other hand from the roof that he was using to brace himself, Jayden worked on wrenching the seatbelt out of the lock. It finally unlocked and the agent managed to catch himself before he struck his head against the roof, smacking his elbow against it instead. He hissed as he felt a piece of glass stab him.

Jayden crawled on his elbows, inching his way out of the driver’s seat. With the cramped space of the car, he had difficulty turning himself around to have his feet at the window. At one point, the agent ended up with his behind in the detective’s face. It was at that exact moment that Blake regained consciousness.

“Jayden?” Blake sputtered. “Is that your ass? Get your ass out of my face!”

“Get your face out of my ass!” Jayden retorted.

He finished his rotation and began kicking at the door. The door took a few hits before finally budging and popping open. Jayden scrambled out of the car and rushed around to the passenger’s side. His hands were shaking as his adrenaline continued to dwindle, but he used whatever energy he could muster to yank Blake’s door open and help the detective out of the vehicle. The sound of sirens was off in the distance but quickly approaching.

“C’mon, Blake, we gotta go,” Jayden slung one of the detective’s arms over his shoulder.

The two law enforcement agents hobbled away from the wreckage.


	7. Ice Packs and Beer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think there were two beds in Jayden's hotel room but I'm going with it for the sake of this story ;)

**Five Little Figures  
** **Chapter 7: Ice Packs and Beer**

_Jayden’s Hotel Room_

**Wednesday  
**4:46pm  
**2.074 inches******

_Thank god for two beds, otherwise this would be extremely awkward right now_ , Jayden considered.

The two law enforcement agents barely made it back to and inside Jayden’s hotel room before collapsing. It was shortly after four that evening that Jayden stirred, waking up with a pounding headache. He sat up and winced, his hand flying to his side. _Probably fractured a few ribs,_ Jayden thought with a grimace. He turned to look at Blake, who was laying on his back, an arm draped over his face and snoring loudly.

The edges of Jayden’s eyesight began to fade and the world looked as though it had been thrown in a carnival ride. _Oh no, not now!_ He felt around his pockets for a vial of triptocaine, hoping to ward off the withdrawal before Blake woke up, but Jayden couldn’t find it. _Shit! It probably fell out of my pocket at the wreckage!_

Eyes wide, Jayden glanced around the room, searching for a bottle of the blue substance. He spotted one on the end table next to Blake. Heaving himself up, Jayden held his side as he limped over to the table. He grabbed the bottle, shaking his head repeatedly as he tried to keep the world in focus. _I need to make it to the bathroom…_

His movements were jerky and unsteady; Jayden bumped the wall with his shoulder as he left the bedroom and made his way toward the bathroom. Falling into the door with a loud bang, Jayden slammed it shut behind him and locked it. Tremulous fingers attempted to open the vial but it slipped through his hands and landed on the floor, spilling out. Jayden fell to his knees as the withdrawal symptoms continued to worsen and crawled toward the shower. After a couple of misses, he grabbed a hold of the shower temperature valve and turned on the shower. Jayden pushed himself forward a few more feet and let the chilly waters cover him.

As the water gradually warmed up, the withdrawal symptoms just as gradually subsided. Jayden took a few deep breaths before cautiously hoisting himself into a sitting position. _Shit, shit, shit_ . Jayden whipped his wrist up and checked the wristband of his watch. His head fell back against the cool white tile of the shower when he remembered he had previously removed the memory card from his wristband after sticking it in there for safekeeping while trying to escape the burning vehicle. _Oh, thank god. I think Blake would have actually murdered me if I lost the memory card after that whole debacle._

Sitting under the shower for a few more minutes, the warm water easing the pain and tension in his body, Jayden shut the water off. He grabbed a towel from the rack next to the shower and stripped himself of his wet clothing, save for his boxers. Jayden wrapped the towel around his waist and hung his soaked shirt and pants over the shower curtain bar to dry. He then headed out of the bathroom.

Jayden found Blake sitting up on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. He had a beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other. Blake had several ice packs covering his body. The television was on; it was a news report showing clips from their trip down the highway earlier.

“Hey, we made the news,” Blake said with a small laugh before taking a bite of his pizza.

The scent of the freshly baked cheese and pepperoni struck Jayden and his stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast and the delicious smells of the pizza reminded him that he was famished.

“What’s all this?” Jayden gestured toward the pizza and beer.

“Well, once you woke up and went into the bathroom to do whatever you did in there,” Blake said. “I figured I’d call room service and get some stuff delivered. I mean, the FBI is paying for this shit, right? Might as well enjoy it.”

“I highly doubt pizza and beer qualifies as a business expense I can report when I get back to Washington, Blake,” Jayden said with a frown.

Blake turned his attention to the agent.

“Do you know how many felonies you committed a few hours ago?” he replied. “A pizza and some beer should be the last thing you’re worried about right now. Sit down, have a slice and grab some ice packs and beer.”

“Let me at least get changed, so this doesn’t become even more awkward than it already is.”

Jayden headed to his suitcase, cringing as he heaved it up onto the bed. He grabbed some fresh clothes and returned to the bathroom to change. Jayden exited the bathroom and sat on the edge of Blake’s bed. He grabbed a piece of pizza, a can of beer from the six pack, and some ice packs. The combination of the three was delightful. _So this is what achieving Nirvana must feel like…_

The two law enforcement agents watched the video of their high speed race down the hallway on the news. Thankfully, due to the heavy rains, their faces were obscured from identification.

“Oh-ho,” Blake let out a laugh as the video showed Jayden pulling off a fancy maneuver to dodge a tractor trailer. “Shit, Norman, I gotta hand it to you; that was some pretty fancy driving you did there.”

“That means a lot coming from you, Blake,” Jayden replied.

Blake lifted his beer in a salute; the agent returned the gesture.

“So,” the detective said after taking a swig of his beer. “What did we get from all this besides a shitload of pain and injuries?”

“There was a memory card in the glove compartment,” Jayden said. “I just, um, well, don’t know what happened to it…”

He recoiled preemptively, expecting Blake to throw a piece of pizza or a beer at him. Opening one eye, he found Blake holding out the memory card for him to take.

“Here,” the detective said. “You put it on the end table before you passed out.”

Jayden finished his pizza crust and dusted off his hands before accepting the memory card. He looked over at the table on the opposite side of the room and spotted the cell phone that they had found in the shoebox. Jayden grabbed it and then returned to the bed, where he popped the memory card in. Blake muted the television as the video began to play.

The video showed the same hole in the ground that was covered by the grate, keeping Shaun Mars prisoner. The rain continued to pour, starting to fill up the area around the young boy. After the video ended, the same hangman puzzle appeared on the screen. A few of the missing pieces were filled in.  

_5_

R_ _ _E_ _ _T_ _ _ _

“That’s all we get after all that?” Blake groaned. “We nearly fucking die and all we get is three letters and a number?”

“Yeah, well, that’s why there are five trials,” Jayden said. “Rest up, Blake, we have four more to go.”

Jayden got up from the bed and stretched his sore muscles.

“Oh,” he turned around to face the detective. “And, for the record, you’re doing the next trial.”

Blake just snorted in response and reached for another piece of pizza.


	8. Suspicions

** Five Little Figures   
** **Chapter 8: Suspicions**

_ Police Department _

**Wednesday  
** **7:28pm  
** **2.244 inches**

They garnered a lot of stares as they returned to the police department that afternoon.  _ We must look like zombies, based on everyone staring at us like this, _ Jayden mused.  _ Too bad Halloween’s a few weeks away still.  _ He limped while holding his side, though the action did nothing to soothe his aching ribs. Blake followed behind him, shielding his eyes from the blinding fluorescent lights above, having become photophobic from the pounding headache from what likely was a concussion and the laceration on the right side of his forehead.

“What the hell happened to you two?” Ash watched as they passed by, a mixture between concern and intrigue in his voice.

“Chasing a lead,” Blake said. 

“It looks like that lead got the better of the two of you,” Ash replied. “Do you want to get checked out? I’ll call a bus-”

“Nah, we’re good,” the detective shook his head. “Thanks, Ash.”

Before they could be interrogated further, Jayden and Blake hobbled toward the agent’s office, closing and locking the door behind them.

“I think we should take that shoebox back to your hotel room,” Blake said. “That way, we won’t have to come into the police department after one of these stupid trials looking like the frickin’ living dead and then get in some deep shit for our unorthodox method of investigation.”

“The living dead?” Jayden repeated, easing himself into the chair. “I thought that would have been an improvement for you, Blake.”

“Just open the next figure,” Blake grumbled, bracing himself against the agent’s desk.

Jayden pulled the shoebox from within the drawer where he’d stashed it for safekeeping and placed it on the desk. Removing the lid, he reached in and scooped up the butterfly figure. Jayden then unfolded the figure to reveal the message hidden inside.

_ ARE YOU PREPARED TO SUFFER TO SAVE YOUR SON?   
_ _ The old powerplant on Embarcado Street _

“Prepared to suffer?” Blake repeated. “What the hell was what we just did then? A shitload of fun? If that’s not considered suffering, I’d hate to see what the Origami Killer has as his definition of fun.”

“Well, let’s go to the powerplant and find out,” Jayden stuffed the unfolded figure into his coat pocket.

He replaced the lid on the shoebox and picked it up to take it with them, as per Blake’s request. Leaving the office, the two law enforcement agents were waved over by Ash.

“Blake, we have a possible witness,” Ash said, meeting them halfway. “Says she may have a possible identity for the Origami Killer and wants to speak to the detective in charge of the case.”

“Thanks, Ash,” Blake said. 

He glanced behind him at Jayden, who gave the detective a nod. The agent removed his coat and used it to cover the shoebox from any unnecessary eyes. They then followed Ash back to Blake’s desk. In the chair next to his desk sat a familiar face that Jayden instantly recognized.

“Grace Mars,” he said.

She looked up at the two law enforcement agents. 

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’m Lieutenant Blake,” Blake said as he took a seat at his desk. “And that’s Agent Norman Jayden from the FBI. What can we do for you, Ms. Mars?”

Grace looked down at her hands in her laps. 

“I...I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, ever since my son, Shaun, went missing,” she paused, taking a moment to brush a tear from her eye.

Jayden snagged a box of tissues from a nearby table and handed them to Grace. She murmured a thank you in response before continuing her tale.

“It’s about my ex-husband, Ethan.”

“What about him?” Blake turned to his computer and began tapping at the keyboard.

“It was a few months back-the middle of the night,” Grace said. “It was pouring rain. Ethan came home completely drenched at about three. I asked him where he’d been. He spoke about drowning, the rain...he didn’t make any sense. There was something...something in his eyes...As if it wasn’t really him.”

She grabbed a tissue from the box and dabbed her eyes. Grace let out a breath.

“There may be no connection but,” she said. “The next day, there was that announcement about another victim of the Origami Killer.”

Blake’s fingers hovered over the keys. Jayden frowned.  _ Shit. I can see the wheels in his mind turning. He doesn’t seriously believe that Ethan Mars is the Origami Killer, does he?  _

“Find my son,” Grace let the tears flow freely now, unable to hold them back any longer. “I’m begging you!”

“We’re doing whatever we can, Ms. Mars,” Blake replied. “Trust me on that one.”

Her eyes drifted over to Jayden, looking for additional reassurance. He gave her a nod.

“Sorry to run out, Ms. Mars,” Blake clicked out of the file he had opened on his computer. “But Agent Jayden and I are actually following up on a lead right now. Ash will show you out. Thank you for coming and sharing this information with us.”

Ash took his cue to lead Grace out of the bullpen. Blake rose from his chair without a word and started for the exit. Jayden hurried behind him, still hiding the box beneath his coat.


	9. Live Wire

**Five Little Figures  
Chapter 9: Live Wire**

_ Powerplant  
 _Embarcado Street_ _

**Wednesday  
 **8:07pm  
 **2.279 inches******

The ride to the powerplant on Embarcado Street was silent. Jayden stole glances intermittently over at Blake, gauging the detective’s possible thoughts.  _ What Grace Mars said is really sticking with him,  _ Jayden thought.  _ What she said made a lot of sense, I have to admit, but I can’t see Ethan Mars being the Origami Killer. The pain and the guilt he had when he came to report his son’s disappearance...you can’t fake that. And why go after your own son? As a way to deflect suspicion? That sort of methodology doesn’t really fit in the killer’s psychological profile. _

“We’re here,” Blake announced, drawing Jayden from his thoughts.

The detective parked on the side of the road in front of the large metal gates that sealed off the entrance to the abandoned powerplant. The agent’s eyes were immediately drawn to the spray painted white butterfly on the brick fence that wrapped around the perimeter of the property.

“Look, Blake, a butterfly,” Jayden pointed to the drawing. 

Blake said nothing as he got out of the vehicle and headed off, walking east of the main gate. 

“Where are you going?” the agent asked, slamming the passenger’s side door as he hurried after the detective.

“There’s a break in the wall,” he pointed. “We can get in that way.”

Jayden followed Blake to a broken section of the wall near the corner of the property. The detective hopped up on a boulder to climb over the broken wall, jumping down on a few more smaller stones inside the gate. Jayden grimaced, his ribs throbbing, as he hoisted himself up and inside the fence. Once he was on the ground, he braced his hands on his knees and focused on steadying his breathing to reduce the pain in his sides.  _ I could really use some Tripto right now,  _ Jayden considered, gritting his teeth. He shook his head.  _ No, no Tripto. I can’t. Blake is here, he’ll see me and I’ll get in trouble for my addiction, then no one will go after Shaun Mars within the little time he has left. Keep it together, Jayden. _

“You coming?” Blake called.

Jayden looked up and saw the detective standing a few yards away, just past a stack of bricks with another white butterfly spray painted on the side. 

“Yeah, just give me a second,” he replied.

Jayden straightened himself out and joined Blake.

“Why don’t you get checked out, Norman?” the detective asked.

Jayden frowned.

“I’m fine, Blake,” he said. 

“Seriously, Jayden, go get checked out. I’ll follow up on some leads while you get your ribs x-rayed.”

“You just want to get rid of me so you can go and investigate Ethan Mars as the possible culprit!” Jayden said.  “So what? Is it really a crime to want to do actual police work instead of gallivanting around and nearly getting ourselves killed?” Blake challenged. 

“No, it’s a crime, but you’re barking up the wrong tree, Blake. Ethan Mars is not the Origami Killer.”

“You figure that out with your great glasses and your fancy psychology degree? He’s got opportunity and his ex’s story about his strange behavior really puts him in a suspicious light. I didn’t need any stupid gadgets or special education to figure that out-”

“But if you  _ did  _ have a degree and training in criminal psychology, you’d know that Ethan Mars does not fit the killer’s psychological profile!” Jayden replied. “Mars is not the Origami Killer. I’d stake my life on it.”

“Listen, Jayden, I know you want to keep playing with the killer and doing this asinine scavenger hunt but this isn’t going to help anyone,” Blake said. “Even if we come across the killer, can we really arrest him after all we’ve done? We’ve committed several felonies already, and that’s just on the first trial! We keep doing this and we can kiss a conviction goodbye, as well as any chance at continuing our careers!”

“Fine,” Jayden let out a huff.

He continued toward the wired gate a few feet away.

“ _ You  _ can go chasing your tail and go after Ethan Mars,” Jayden ducked under the barbed wire strung over the hole in the rotting fence. “I’m going to keep following this lead to get more letters to rescue Shaun Mars before the killer’s victim total gets to nine.”

“Jayden!” Blake called after him.

The agent ignored the detective and continued through the second wired gate, limboing under another line of barbed wire. Reaching the other side of the fence, Jayden surveyed the area. He heard some movement behind him, but prevented himself from turning around. Out of the corner of his eye, Jayden could see Blake approaching. He fought the smile that was threatening to appear on his lips, knowing that Blake had opted to join him in his continued efforts to save Shaun Mars. 

“There,” Blake pointed toward the wall of the building. “A door.”

Jayden walked toward the door, Blake following behind him. As they approached, the two law enforcement agents discovered yet another white butterfly waiting for them on the wall near the door.  _ We’re on the right track _ , Jayden considered. The door to the building had a High Voltage warning sign plastered across it. 

Pulling the door open, Jayden headed inside, Blake at his heels. Inside the broom closet sized room, the two officers were nearly shoulder to shoulder as they looked around. 

“No butterflies,” Jayden murmured.

Blake walked over to the hatch on the wall. He tugged on the wheel but found it locked. 

“Lefty loosey, righty tighty,” Jayden called to Blake.

The detective, hands still on the wheel, threw the agent a glare over his shoulder.

“I know which side to turn to to tighten or loosen something,” he growled.

Jayden held his hands up in mock surrender. After some additional manipulation of the wheel, Blake managed to pry the hatch open. From behind him, Jayden could see the detective scoop something up from inside the hatch, but couldn’t tell what the item was. 

“What did you find?” he asked.

Blake turned around and held up a box of matches. 

“So now what?” he asked, looking up at Jayden.

The agent walked over to the open hatch and peered inside. Pure darkness stared back at him. 

“Blake,” Jayden started to say. “You’re not going to like what I have to say-”

“You’re right and there’s no reason to start liking what you say right now,” Blake grumbled in response.

“Oh good, then you won’t be pissed when I tell you I think the killer wants us to crawl through this tunnel.”

“You’ve got to be fucking joking.”

“Yeah, I’m really going to make a crack like that when you could easily shove me into some live wires or shut and lock the hatch after I climb inside.”

“There’s no way I can fit in there,” Blake gestured toward the tunnel.

“Blake, I’m not only taller than you, but I’m also dealing with what are most likely fractured ribs; I really don’t think  _ I  _ can make it through the tunnel.”

“Taller, maybe,” Blake stood toe to toe with the agent, staring him in the eye. “But you haven’t put on your middle-aged weight yet.  _ You  _ can fit.  _ I  _ can’t.”

“Rock, paper, scissors to decide who goes?” Jayden replied with a smile.

Blake just stared at him.

“No,” he said flatly.

“Then why don’t we  _ both  _ go?” Jayden said with a shrug. “Your warnings while driving down the highway were actually pretty helpful, Blake; if we want to save Shaun Mars, we’re going to have to-”

“If you say work together, I am going to walk out of this room and leave your ass here!”

“Fine. We’ll need to cooperate; is that better?”

The detective grumbled a response. Jayden stepped aside and motioned for Blake to lead the way.

“And why do  _ I  _ have to go first?” Blake asked.

“Because, if I go first, how do I know that you won’t just close and lock the hatch on me?” Jayden replied. “You  _ did _ already mention wanting to do something to that effect…”

“Gee, Norm, you’re not as stupid as you make yourself out to be,” the detective retorted. “Now make yourself useful and give me a boost.”

“Too old to get up, eh?” 

“I will kick you in the fucking ribs-”

“All right, all right,” Jayden got down on his knee to help usher Blake up and into the tunnel. “Up you go.”

Once the detective was inside the tunnel, he crawled forward enough to allow Jayden room to follow behind. Jayden hissed as he heaved himself up and into the tunnel, silently contemplating just how many ribs he may have broken earlier. 

“Lead the way, Gunga Din,” he said to Blake. 

They had only managed to crawl a few inches before the hatch slammed shut. The sound reverberated off of the tunnel walls. Jayden wasn’t sure what was louder, the sound of the hatch closing or the pounding of his heart.  _ At least Blake can’t reach me to strangle me right now. Silver lining, I guess. _

“Guess there’s no turning back, eh, Blake?” Jayden joked.

“If we get stuck in here, I will find a way to kill you, Jayden, I promise you that,” Blake growled.

“Well, let’s go forward and see if I can live to annoy you another day.”

Blake crawled forward, Jayden giving him a brief head start before following suit. 

“Fuck!” Blake stopped abruptly.

Jayden managed to catch himself before he crawled head first into the detective’s behind. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked. 

Blake had stopped and was sitting back on his haunches, still hunched over. He was holding his arm. Getting no response from the detective, Jayden held his breath as he scooted forward and fished the box of matches out of Blake’s pants pocket. Matches in hand, he pulled one out and lit it. 

“Broken glass,” Jayden gasped. “It’s littering the entire tunnel!”

“How the hell are we supposed to climb through this?” Blake said. “Our arms and legs will be cut to ribbons before we even make it to the end.”

“And it’s not like we can go back...can we?” 

Jayden crawled in reverse toward the hatch door. He back kicked the door, which didn’t budge. 

“Bad news, Blake,” Jayden made his way back to where he was. “Door’s locked.”

The detective let out a string of curses. 

“Jayden, give me your coat,” Blake said suddenly.

“My coat?” Jayden frowned. “What do you want my coat for? Also, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to manage to get it off in this cramped space.”

“Find a way!” 

Stretching out to lay flat on the cold, damp floor of the tunnel, Jayden managed to wiggle out of his coat, biting his lip a time or ten to keep himself from crying out in pain as he jostled his sore ribs in the process. He passed it to Blake, who put it on the floor. The detective used the coat to push the glass pieces as he progressed forward.

“Good idea,” Jayden had to admit. “But, I do have to ask, why are you using my coat?”

“I’m not going to ruin  _ my _ jacket,” Blake replied matter-of-factly.

The agent just shook his head and continued to follow the detective as he shoved his coat, and subsequently the shards of glass, forward through the tunnel. They made it a few more feet before Blake stopped again. Jayden did the same.

“What’s wrong now?” he asked, unable to see over the detective’s full frame.

“The tunnel splits,” Blake replied. 

“What do you mean the tunnel splits?”

“It means we can’t go forward. It means we have two options: left or right. And if you say we flip a coin, I will back kick you in the face.”

“Actually,” Jayden pulled out the box of matches. “I was going to say we can check which way to go by seeing which way the match flame is blown by the air filtering through the tunnel system.”

“Huh, that’s actually a good idea,” Blake murmured in response.

“Yeah, us guys up at Quantico tend to have them once in a blue moon,” Jayden replied. “I noticed the air flow affecting the flame when I lit the match earlier after you found the glass shards.”

“Light it up, then. Let’s see which way the wind blows.”

Jayden lit a match and the flame was pulled to the right. The agent shook the match to extinguish the flame and then discarded it by tossing it to the side.

“To the right,” Jayden informed Blake.

Letting out a breath, Blake commenced crawling forward again, turning to the right and heading down the tunnel. They repeated the process at the next juncture, but this time turning left, as per the direction of the flame. The next intersection caused Blake to frown.

“There’s three tunnels this time,” he informed Jayden. “Hope your match trick still works.”

“It should,” Jayden said as he lit another match. 

The flame drew to the left. Jayden moved the flame from side to side to ensure that this was the correct direction. Moving the flame over to the right, Blake spoke up.

“Hold on,” the detective said. “Light another match.”

“What for?” Jayden asked.

“I thought I saw something down that right tunnel.” “But the flame pointed to the left-”

“I know that! Just do it, Jayden.”

The agent did as Blake requested and lit another match, positioning it as far to the right as he could extend his arm. 

“There  _ is  _ something down there,” Blake whispered. 

“Are you going to check it out?” Jayden asked. 

“Something doesn’t feel right about that tunnel. I think I need to check it out.”

“Here, take the matches.”

The agent slid the box of matches up to Blake. The detective then continued forward, Jayden squinting as he tried to keep an eye on Blake as he progressed through the tunnel.  _ I wonder what’s down there- _ Before the agent could even finish his thought, he heard Blake swearing.

“What’s wrong?” Jayden called. 

He waited for a response. When he did not get one, Jayden started to crawl after the detective.

“I…” Blake began to say, stopping Jayden in his tracks. “I found a body.”

“Oh.”

“I know this man.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. It’s the father of the last kid the Origami Killer got, Jeremy Bowles,” Blake said softly. “Mr. Bowles disappeared shortly before you got here and shortly before we found Jeremy’s body at the wasteland near the railroad tracks.”

“If that’s Mr. Bowles,” Jayden said. “Then that must mean that the Origami Killer had contacted him, too, with the trials.”

“He took them on to try and save Jeremy but…”

“Didn’t quite make it,” Jayden finished Blake’s thought. “Blake, are there any other fathers of victims that vanished?”

“Yes.”

Nothing further was said as Blake reversed himself and crawled back to the entrance of the right tunnel. He gave Jayden a nod and the agent returned the gesture.

“Remember where we found him, Jayden,” Blake instructed as he started toward the left tunnel. “When this is all over, we can get him out of here.”

“Right, then left. At the third intersection, which splits into three, Mr. Bowles is in the right side tunnel,” Jayden reiterated. “Got it.”

“On we go, then.”

“Blake, look, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.” “Now’s not the time to get philosophical, Jayden-”

“No, I mean there’s literally light at the end of the tunnel; I think we found the way out!”

Blake picked up speed, hurrying toward the exit, Jayden right behind him. Reaching the opening at the end of the tunnel, the detective twisted himself around and slid out feet first. Blake stretched and checked his arm as Jayden also popped out of the tunnel.

“Here’s your coat,” Blake handed Jayden his coat.

Jayden frowned. He shook out his coat, glass shards skittering out and splashing across the floor.

“Gee, thanks,” Jayden said. “How’s your arm?”

There was a noticeable slice in Blake’s coat. The detective lifted his arm, shoving his sleeve down. His blue violet shirt also had a sizeable slice through it, the edges of the laceration stained with red. 

“Probably need some stitches,” Jayden said. 

“Or some booze and some adhesive tape,” Blake replied. “Come on, let’s finish this shit up. This place is making me claustrophobic.”

“Well, then your worst fears are about to be realized.”

Blake turned to see what the agent was pointing at. There was a hole in the wall, even smaller than the tunnels they had just crawled through. Blake peeked into the hole; it led to some tubes, similar to a slide in a child’s playground. 

“Before you say there’s no way you’re going to go through there,” Jayden anticipated the detective’s response. “What choice do you have? You can crawl back through the tunnels but you can do it  _ without  _ my coat.”

“All I was going to say was that I hope we don’t get stuck,” Blake rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh, don’t really care for tight spaces.”

_ He’s actually being honest with me,  _ Jayden noted.  _ I guess finding Mr. Bowles’ body really bothered him.  _

“Hey,” Jayden put his hand on Blake’s shoulder. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll even go first this time.”

“It won’t really make me feel any better, but I won’t turn down that offer,” Blake said. “Have at it.”

Jayden shook his coat out again, making sure he got out as much of the glass pieces as he could before putting the coat down in the tube. Jayden climbed into the tube, sitting on top of his jacket like a blanket. 

“One hippopotamus, two hippopotamus,” Jayden braced his hands on either side of his body. “Three hippopotamus...go!”

He shoved himself forward and slid down the tube. It was a short but rather bumpy ride, Jayden silently thankful he put his coat down to shield some of the blows. The tubing ended and the agent flew out, landing a few feet down onto the cold concrete. He coughed and sputtered as the wind was momentarily knocked out of him.

Laying on the ground, taking a moment to collect himself, Jayden’s eyes widened as he heard a rumbling from inside the tube. Before he could roll out of the way, Blake shot out of the tube. He landed directly on Jayden.

“Oomph!” Jayden groaned as the detective landed on him.

“Shit, Norm,” Blake scrambled off of the agent. “Didn’t know you’d be right there. Thanks for breaking my fall, though.”

“Don’t mention it,” Jayden wheezed.

Blake stood up and helped Jayden to his feet. The agent took a moment to catch his breath, one hand wrapped around his middle as he braced himself against the wall near the tube.

“I’m not trying to get rid of you this time when I say this, Norm,” Blake said. “But I really think you should get yourself checked out. You can puncture a lung or something with those broken ribs.”

“Nothing that can’t be fixed with some booze and adhesive tape,” Jayden said, repeating Blake’s words from earlier.

That earned a small smile from the detective before he turned to look over the room where they landed. Inside was the electrical grid, with multiples rows of electrical capacitors. The capacitors had live wires, sparks of electricity bursting and spurting from the various wires across the room.

“Look, on the wall across the room,” Jayden came to stand next to Blake. “There’s another butterfly.”

“He wants us to cross the room full of live electrical wires,” Blake said as more of a statement rather than a question.

“Looks like it.”

“Fuck.”

“You said it.”

Blake sat down on the edge of the floor, scooting off the ledge to the ground floor. Jayden did the same, wincing as some pain jolted through his body. He looked to the left and saw a solitary door with the word “coward” written across it in bold letters.  _ If only Mr. Bowles could have made it this far,  _ Jayden thought with a frown.  _ He would have at least have had a fighting chance and maybe Jeremy would have too.  _ The agent turned his eyes toward the electrical capacitors. He exhaled slowly.  _ I won’t let Mr. Bowles or Jeremy have died in vain. This...this is for them. _

“All right, Jayden,” Blake snapped the agent out of his thoughts. “How are we going to do this?”

Jayden surveyed the electrical capacitors, running a hand through his hair. He exhaled slowly.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Jayden said. “But there are certain gaps in the wires that, if you maneuver yourself the right way, you could probably slip through.”

“Jayden, there’s a reason I don’t play Twister with my nieces and nephews,” Blake said. “I’m not very limber anymore. I haven’t been able to do anything like since I played high school football.”

Jayden couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped his lips. The detective raised an eyebrow at him.

“Something funny, Norman?”

“Just the thought of you playing Twister with a bunch of little kids,  _ Uncle Carter _ ,” Jayden replied, a grin on his face.

“I happen to be a  _ great  _ uncle,” Blake poked Jayden in the chest for emphasis. “And don’t you forget it.”

Jayden held his hands up in mock surrender. He then turned his attention back toward the first set of live wires. The agent walked a few paces up to the wires, formulating his way through them. He stuck his right leg through a gap in the middle, securely planting it on the other side. Jayden straddled the wire for a brief moment, taking in a deep breath before folding in half to duck underneath the ones above his head. With a bit of a bounce to clear his left foot, Jayden turned and waved to Blake from the other side of the first electrical capacitor. Blake frowned as he walked up to the capacitor. 

“Jayden,” he paused to clear his throat. “Uh, this, um, might be a strange, er, request but...can you help me through?”

“Of course, Blake,” Jayden said. 

The detective appeared to relax at not having to respond to a snarky comment after reaching out for help. Blake copied Jayden and stuck his leg through the wires. The agent extended his hand to take Blake’s to help him keep balance while wiggling through the wires. They repeated the process three more times, making it through to the other side of the capacitors.

“Another butterfly,” Blake pointed out after standing up and dusting himself off. “We made it through.”

The detective patted Jayden on the back.

“Nice work, kid.”

Jayden only gave him a nod of acknowledgement, his focus on the returning sensation in his left knee after nicking it on a sharp piece of broken wire and receiving a small shock. He hobbled behind Blake as the detective headed over to the table near the wall where the butterfly had been spray painted on it. Blake held up another memory card for Jayden to see, triumph clearly written on his face.


	10. Progress

**Five Little Figures  
Chapter 10: Progress**

_ Jayden’s Hotel Room _

**Wednesday  
 **9:55pm  
 **2.498 inches******

Jayden collapsed onto the bed the moment he entered his hotel room. Face buried in his pillow, he heard Blake chuckling as he shuffled across the room to the desk where the shoebox was. 

“I’m going to check out the memory card,” the detective informed him.

Jayden lifted his arm as much as possible to muster a thumbs up in Blake’s direction. He only raised his head when he felt the edge of the bed dip under Blake’s weight when he took a seat. The video showed Shaun Mars in the rapidly rising rainwater, followed by three more spots being filled in in the hangman puzzle.

_52

R_ _ _E_ E LT_ _ _ _

“This could still be anything,” Blake grumbled.

“It’s still progress, though, Blake,” Jayden reminded him. “Plus, we found the body of Mr. Bowles in the tunnel so we know Ethan Mars wasn’t the only one the killer reached out to; speaking of which, were there ever any reports of other men dying in strange ways? Like going the wrong way down the highway at high speeds?”

“Not that I know of,” Blake replied. “Then again, I don’t deal with traffic crimes or accident reconstruction; I’m homicide.”

“Something like that probably would have been on the news, though, wouldn’t you think?”

“Probably. But maybe the Origami Killer changed up the order of the trials. Maybe there was another victim’s father who died from something else because they had to do something different first, which is why we haven’t heard anything about it.”

“Good thought, Blake,” Jayden said. “It’s certainly possible. Actually, that makes a lot of sense. Changing up his MO, even if just altering the order of the trials, would make it harder for the police to catch on to his little scheme.”

Blake flashed the agent a grin.

“And they said I needed the FBI to hold my hand,” he scoffed.

Jayden stifled a chuckle as he recalled the various times he had to hold Blake’s hand while assisting the detective through the electrical capacitors.

“Literally,” he sniggered.

Jayden’s breath hitched when he felt a punch to the knee he had injured on one of the broken wires in the electrical grid. He buried his face in the pillow again, cringing as his knee throbbed. 

“Well, what are you laying around for, Jayden?” Blake asked.

Jayden could feel the mattress bounce upward as the detective got up. 

“For my body to stop feeling like I got run over by a herd of elephants?” he mumbled.

“Get up, Norm, we have another trial to conquer.”

“Your adrenaline rush is killing me, Blake,” Jayden groaned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Blake had already fetched the shoebox and looking over the figures to determine which one was next in line. He finally withdrew an origami lizard with a “3” marked on it.

_ ARE YOU PREPARED TO MAKE A SACRIFICE TO SAVE YOUR SON?   
_9711 Marble Street._ _

“Sacrifice?” Blake repeated. “Oh, this should be fun.”

Jayden opted to ignore the detective’s grumblings.

“Marble Street,” he said. “Know anything about it?”

“Nothing remarkable. It’s just a regular street downtown. Couple of stores, a gas station at the end and an apartment building or two. There was a fire at one of the buildings not that long ago; I remember one of the guys from Arson talking about since it was investigated for possible criminal activity.”

“Hmm...a burned down apartment building? What are the odds that this is the location of the next trial?”

“I have no doubt that’s where it’s sending us to,” he said and, with a sigh, Blake covered up the shoebox and returned it to its spot on the desk.


	11. Intended Target

****Five Little Figures  
Chapter 11: Intended Target** **

_ 9711 Marble Street _

**Thursday  
 **7:47am  
 **3.060 inches******

Blake pulled the car up to the curb outside the front of the apartment building. Jayden looked over the building from the passenger’s seat. 

“Place looks like a dump,” he mused aloud.

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone ever bothered with renovations after the fire,” Blake replied.

“Well, if the front door’s locked, then I guess no one will mind if we break a window or two to get in.” “What? You mean you don’t get taught how to pick locks in the fancy FBI school you were sent to?”

“Nah, I was absent that day,” Jayden replied with a smirk.

Blake rolled his eyes as he started to get out of the car. Jayden undid his seatbelt and followed suit. The detective checked the front door and found it, thankfully, unlocked. He held the door open and motioned for Jayden to head in first.

“Such a gentleman, Blake,” the agent poked fun at the detective.

“Sure,” Blake scoffed. “I just prefer you to go in first in case anything or anyone tries to kill us.”

“Nevermind, forget what I just said.”

The inside of the apartment building still carried the odor of burned and rotted wood. The two law enforcement agents looked around the building as the door closed behind them with a groan. The walls and floors were still charred, creating a dark and stifling atmosphere, the only light source coming from the large windows in the hallway walls. Three large porcelain lizards twinkled in the light’s rays. 

“Those lizards are in impeccable condition,” Jayden walked over and squatted down in front of one of the figures. “Everything else in this apartment, even the windows, are covered in ash or dust of some sort; the lizards aren’t. They have to be new.”

Blake headed over to the lizard figure in the middle and picked it up as Jayden looked over the first one. The detective paused, staring down at the figure. He glanced up at Jayden to see if he heard the same thing he did. The agent’s focus, however, was entirely on the lizard figurine. With a shrug, Blake threw the figure down on to the floor. It shattered in several pieces, Jayden nearly falling back on his behind from the startling sound.

“What the hell was that for, Blake?” Jayden caught himself before he could hit the ground.

The detective leaned down and rummaged through the broken porcelain pieces. He picked up a key and held it out for Jayden to see.

“I heard something rattling around inside when I picked up that lizard figure,” Blake said.

“This  _ is  _ the lizard origami figure trial, so it makes sense,” Jayden said in agreement as he dusted himself off. “I highly doubt that simply finding the key was the trial, so, let’s see what’s behind door number one.”

Key in hand, Blake walked toward the door at the end of the hallway. His eyes, as well as Jayden’s, were instantly drawn to the drawing of a lizard on the door. Blake inserted the key and unlocked the door, motioning for the agent to head inside first again. Jayden waved him off.

“Oh no, I couldn’t,” he said. “It’s age before beauty after all.”

Blake grumbled before stomping off into the adjoining room. Jayden, snickering to himself, followed behind. The room inside was in marginally better condition than the rest of the burned building, but was still in a state of severe disrepair. In the center was a table with a video player at the top of it. Blake slid into the chair at the table and hit the play button on the video player. The detective frowned when he was greeted with a live stream of himself and Jayden in the room.

“Jayden,” Blake called out to the agent, who was looking around the room.

He came over to the detective as words appeared on the screen.

_ Are you prepared to suffer to save your son? You have five minutes to cut off the last section of one of your fingers in front of the camera. If you succeed, you will get your reward. _

“Cut off part of a finger-” Blake started to say.

The words hitched in his throat when both he and Jayden laid eyes on the timer at the bottom of the video player screen beginning to count down from five minutes. Instead, any words he may have wanted to say were replaced with a single one: “Fuck.”

Eyes still on the video player and the live feed showcasing them, Blake spied Jayden turning away from the screen and rummaging around the room. He rotated in the chair to watch the agent.

“Please tell me you’re not seriously considering cutting part of your finger off,” Blake said.

Jayden disappeared into an adjoining room for a brief moment before turning with some disinfectant.

“If it’s the only way to save Shaun Mars-” the agent started to respond.

He was interrupted by Blake before he could finish his statement.

“But it’s  _ not  _ the only way to save the kid!” Blake hit the table with a fist. “The Origami Killer obviously got the key from someone, so it’s likely that he is associated with or at least knows the owner of the building. We can look into who owns this apartment building and-”

Jayden shook his head. 

“That’ll take too much time,” he said as he snagged a hatchet from the entryway. “Shaun Mars has less than three days to live; investigating and following up on those leads could take days, even weeks. If cutting off part of my finger means saving the kid’s life, it’s worth it.”

Blake stared at the agent, who continued puttering around the room collecting supplies.

“You do realize how crazy this all sounds, right?” he asked. “You’re about to cut off your finger, potentially jeopardizing your career, all to please some sick fuck?”

“Yes,” Jayden paused, looking directly at the detective. “It’s not that hard to comprehend.”

“This isn’t five finger fillet! You’re skipping the whole ‘quickly run the knife back and forth between my fingers and hope I don’t stab myself’ thing and just going straight for the stabbing part.”

“Actually, I’m going straight to the hatchet part.”

“No!” Blake popped out of the chair. “That’s it! I’m putting my foot down. You are  _ not  _ doing this trial and that’s final!” 

Jayden continued forward toward the table, hatchet in his grasp.

“Then you’ll have to stop me,” he twirled the hatchet in his hand.

Blake’s eyes flickered back to the screen of the video player. There were three minutes remaining. 

_ Please stop me, Blake,  _ Jayden thought as he laid out his supplies on the table.  _ I really want to save Shaun Mars but I really don’t want to have to amputate my own finger with the most rudimentary of tools; I could die from blood loss or an infection or from shock. Dammit, Blake! Come up with something! You’re a cop for Christ’s sake! _

Lost in this thoughts, Jayden barely caught a glimpse of Blake approaching the table from behind him in the live stream on the video player. He had picked up the chair and had it poised over his head, ready to strike. Jayden, leery at what might be headed his way, began to turn toward the detective. He barely had enough time to dodge Blake as the detective swung the chair down, hitting the table. The table snapped in half, collapsing in the middle and striking the wooden floor below it. The video player tumbled to the floor, the live stream interrupted and replaced with static. 

“What the fuck, Blake?” Jayden squawked.

“I told you, you’re not doing this trial!” Blake huffed.

The agent was uncertain if the detective’s heavy breathing was from his spiraling rage or from the exertion of smashing the table. 

“Just tell me one thing,” Jayden said.

Blake placed his hands on his waist as he looked over the broken table and floorboards beneath it.

“What?” he asked.

“Were you aiming for me or the table?”

Jayden waited for Blake to respond. The longer it took the detective to answer, the more convinced the agent became that  _ he  _ was the intended target, and not the table.

“Well,” Jayden let out a breath. “I guess, for keeping me from having to amputate my own finger, I should say thank-”

Blake held up a hand to shush him. Jayden frowned.

“Excuse me, Lieutenant No Manners,” the agent said in response to the detective’s dismissal. “I was simply trying to say-”

“Shut it for a second, Norman,” Blake interrupted. “I think I see something.”

He knelt down and reached underneath the broken table, fishing around in between the fractured floorboards. Blake hissed and retracted his hand, shaking it briefly before examining it.

“Shit,” he muttered.

“What?” Jayden asked, coming to stand next to the detective.

“I got a splinter in my finger.”

The agent couldn’t stop his laugh before it bubbled up and out of his throat. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were a tough guy,” Jayden said. “Here I was, about to hatchet off the end of my finger, with the most elementary of supplies, and you are in pain from a sliver in your finger. Poor baby.”

“Next time, I won’t miss with the fucking chair,” Blake growled.

He reached down in between the floorboards again and succeeded in withdrawing the object of his attention this time. 

“Another memory card,” Jayden said. “I’ll take it and hold on to it so you can nurse your finger boo-boo.”

Blake forcefully shoved Jayden, causing the agent to stumble backward and land on his behind.


	12. Sinking

** Five Little Figures   
** **Chapter 12: Sinking**

  _Jayden’s Hotel Room_  

**Thursday  
** **11:10am  
** **3.332 inches**

Blake gritted his teeth. His left hand balled into a fist, his fingernails digging into his palm. This was pure torture. Absolute, unabashed torture.

“Is this almost over?” Blake grumbled. “I can’t take this shit anymore!”

Jayden’s eyes flickered up from his task to briefly glance up at the detective before returning to his present mission. Tweezers in hand, he yanked the splinter out of Blake’s finger. The detective howled as the tiny splinter of wood was removed. Jayden held it up for him to see.

“Here you are, Blake,” the agent said. “The big, bad culprit.”

Blake eyed the piece of wood. It was smaller than expected. Awfully smaller than expected. Blake’s frown deepened at the sight of the agent’s smirk.

“You better wipe that smirk off your face, Norman,” he said. “Before I wipe it off for you.”

“Want me to put this sliver into evidence so you can bring the Origami Killer up on charges for assaulting a police officer?” Jayden remarked.

“Maybe I should have let you cut off your finger; you’d probably be a hell of a lot quieter right now.”

Jayden chuckled to himself as he discarded the splinter and returned the tweezers to the bathroom. Blake was bandaging his finger when the agent returned to the room. Jayden pulled the memory card Blake had found in the floorboards at the Marble Street property out of his pocket and snagged the cell phone from the shoebox off of the desk. He took a seat near Blake on the bed and popped the card inside.

The two law enforcement agents were greeted by yet another video of Shaun Mars in his prison, the water level from the continuous rain nearly reaching up to the boy’s face. Like the rising water level, Jayden could feel the dread building up in him doing the same, continuously increasing and threatening to suffocate him. The video then provided the two law enforcement agents with additional pieces to the puzzle.

852_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ROO _E_ E LT_ _ _ _

“I think we have enough information to start getting Ash involved by cross-checking this information with whatever properties match what we have so far,” Blake said.

“That’s probably still quite an extensive list,” Jayden pointed out. “You can call him to start narrowing things down, but we’re still going to have to continue with the trials. We have two more and it’s plain to see from the video that Shaun Mars doesn’t have much time left with the current rate of rainfall.”

“Fine,” Blake replied, stuffing his cell phone back in his pocket. “What’s the next trial? I can call Ash on the way.”

Jayden got up from the bed and went over to the shoebox on the desk. There were two figures remaining, the shark and the rat. The shark was labeled “4.” Unfolding the origami figure, Jayden instantly felt his heart sink.

“What does it say?” Blake asked, noticing the deep set frown on the agent’s face.

Jayden couldn’t find the words; he simply handed the detective the former shark figure.

_ARE YOU PREPARED TO KILL SOMEONE TO SAVE YOUR SON?  
_ _Brad Silver. 6784 Longway Road, Lexington. Kill him. Send a picture. Get your reward._

“Well, I guess we know what the gun is for, then,” Blake scratched the back of his head.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Jayden murmured.

His heart continued to sink at the prospect of having to murder someone for this trial. Jayden wasn’t so sure that if he were to walk right now, he wouldn’t hear his heart sloshing around in his shoes.


	13. Junkie

**Five Little Figures  
** **Chapter 13: Junkie**

_ Apartment of Brad Silver  
 _6784 Longway Road_ _

**Thursday  
 **2:18pm  
 **3.502 inches******

Blake hung up the phone. Jayden turned to the detective, who sat in the driver’s seat, and waited expectantly to hear the update from Ash.

“So,” Blake stuffed his cell phone back in his jacket pocket. “I heard from Ash. He looked into Brad Silver like I asked.”

“And?” Jayden replied.

“Guy’s a drug dealer. Been arrested a few times for possession and intent to distribute, and a weapons charge or two.”

“Sounds like a real stand up guy but we can’t-I can’t-kill him for no reason. I mean, if he were holding a gun to my head or your head, the situation would be different, but, in cold blood? No way.”

“Have you ever killed someone, Jayden?” Blake turned his attention to the rainfall outside the window.

“Have I ever killed someone?” the agent repeated.

“You know, in the line of duty.”

“N-no, I haven’t.”

_ No, I haven’t and it’s something I consider myself extremely fortunate for never having to experience. _

“It always does something to you the first time, then you get used to it,” Blake’s voice was soft, almost regretful.

“What if we skip this trial and just go straight to the last one?” Jayden offered. 

The detective turned away from the window and looked at him.

“Seriously? After all we’ve already been through?” Blake countered.

“Says the man who didn’t even want to do the trials in the first place,” it was Jayden’s turn to look away and focus his attention on the precipitation collecting in puddles on the sidewalk a few feet away. 

“Yeah, you’re right. I didn’t want to do the trials because I didn’t want to play the game of sick fuck but yet, here we are. Honestly, Jayden? I thought this all was a bunch of bullshit until we found the body of Mr. Bowles. I see that the only way to stop the deaths of all these children and the fathers that attempt the trials is to rescue Shaun Mars and stop the Origami Killer in the process. I didn’t believe this was even possible until…”

Blake’s voice trailed off. Jayden’s eyes drifted upward to study the detective’s face in the window reflection. 

“Until what?” he prompted Blake to continue.

“Forget it,” Blake said with a shake of his head. “Listen, you can hide out in the car or you can come with me and see what information we can get out of Brad Silver before we...complete the trial. Ball’s in your court, Norm.”

The detective didn’t wait for a response, saying nothing further as he opened the driver’s side door and stepped out into the rain. Jayden frowned, noticing the deliberately slow pace the detective had adopted as he made his way toward the entrance to the apartment building.  _ He wants me to come with him,  _ the agent figured.  _ What he said about having to kill someone...I think it still bothers him, no matter how much of a tough exterior he tries to exude.  _ With a sigh, Jayden exited the vehicle and hurried after Blake. The detective said nothing as the agent appeared at his side, simply giving the agent a nod of acknowledgement.  _ You’re welcome, Blake _ , Jayden thought in response to the agent’s gesture.

Inside the apartment building, Jayden followed Blake into the lobby where they checked the buzzer listings to search for Brad Silver’s apartment. Once they had the apartment number, they headed toward the staircase and began their ascent.

“So, what’s the plan?” Jayden asked, following the detective up the stairs.

“What do you mean ‘what’s the plan’?” Blake asked in response.

“Well, we can’t just go and knock on the guy’s door and be like ‘oh, hey, we’re cops-do you mind if we shoot you?’.”

“We  _ could _ .”

Jayden reached out and grabbed a hold of the detective’s arm. Blake turned his head to look at him, giving the agent a small chuckle.

“Geez, I’m just kidding, Norm,” he replied. 

The two law enforcement agents made it up to the floor where Silver’s apartment was located. They stopped on the landing, just outside of the apartment.

“Maybe you can pretend to be a junkie in need of a fix,” Blake said.

A shiver shot through Jayden’s body.  _ A junkie in need of a fix; if only you knew the half of it, Blake.  _ He shoved those thoughts aside. The last thing he needed was for his Triptocaine addiction to rear its ugly head, especially in front of Blake. 

“Okay, so I get access to the guy’s apartment, then what?” Jayden asked instead.

“I’ll go in and...finish the job,” Blake replied with a shrug.

Jayden let out a breath, closing his eyes as he ran a hand over his face.

“Blake, I don’t like this,” he said. “I still think we’ll have enough information if we complete the last trial-”

“But what if the last trial is even worse than this one?” Blake motioned toward the apartment door. “Then what? Listen, we can’t just quit after all that we’ve been through. Ash and the team are working on cross-checking the letters and numbers we’ve gotten previously from the hangman with any and all properties in the cities, but that’s a shitload of information to sort through. Meanwhile, the rain is still coming down in buckets and the Mars kid doesn’t have much time left. Who would you rather save? A drug dealer or an innocent boy?”

Jayden released a puff of air through his nostrils.  _ Like there was any choice, Blake, _ he thought to himself.  _ By dealing drugs, Brad Silver possibly becomes a killer if any of the junkies that buy from him overdose. Shaun Mars, on the other hand, is just an innocent boy who has already lost “Jason,” whom I can only assume was his brother. He hasn’t done anything to deserve what he’s going through right now. _

“All right...I’ll do it,” Jayden’s voice was barely above a whisper. 

He started untucking his shirt and messing with his well-groomed appearance to look more disheveled and desperate. Jayden pulled out his gun and his badge and handed them to Blake.

“By the way,” he said to the detective. “How are you going to, you know,  _ justify  _ this?”

“I’ll arrange the scene so it looks like Silver shot first,” Blake said with a shrug. “Before you ask, he’s been brought up on weapons charges before, so he probably has some firearms in his apartment.”

“Ah, so it’ll will be like the who-shot-first-Han-or-Greedo debate,” Jayden replied.

“Depends on what version of the film you’re watching, the original version or the special edition.”

The agent’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Wow, Blake, never would have pegged you for a Star Wars fan,” he remarked.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Mr. Criminal Profiler,” Blake replied. 

_ That sounds almost like a challenge _ , Jayden considered. He opted not to pursue the matter at the moment, turning all of his attention toward gaining access to Brad Silver’s apartment. Letting out a slow breath, Jayden stepped forward and rapped his knuckles against the door. It took a few moments before the door opened and a man peered out.

“Yeah?” the man, Brad Silver, questioned.

He eyed Jayden with suspicion.  _ Shit, I don’t think I look enough like the junkies he’s used to dealing with,  _ Jayden thought.  _ I...I gotta act like I’m on the verge of withdrawal. Hands, shaking. Heart, racing. Tremors.  _ His thoughts became his actions and Silver’s furrowed brows softened.

“Listen, man, I said a thousand times that I don’t want any junkies at my door,” Silver said. “If you wanna score, man-”

“Please!” Jayden’s voice cracked.

He reached out to grab a hold of Silver, the man inside recoiling like the agent had the cooties. 

“I-I-I need it,” Jayden continued. “I-I-I can’t function...I’m getting in trouble at work...I-I’m  _ seeing  _ things. Please, help me! Just one score-”

“Hey, take it easy, man, huh?” Silver opened the door further. 

He stopped abruptly, his attention instantly drawn to Blake, who stood off to the side behind Jayden. The agent looked behind him at Blake.  _ Shit. We didn’t come up with a cover story for why Blake is here with me.  _ Jayden could feel himself breaking out into a cold sweat.  _ I have an idea, but Blake’s not gonna like it… _

“Who’s this?” Silver nodded toward Blake. “He looks familiar; is he a cop? If he is, I swear to fucking god-”

“He’s not a cop,” Jayden interrupted. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?!” Blake squawked. 

Jayden whirled around and slapped a hand over the detective’s mouth. 

“Sorry,” the agent said. “He’s still a little embarrassed when I call him that. You know, old-school values and morals type of upbringing.”

“Sure,” Silver replied, a small smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. “You look like shit, man, so I’ll let you in this one time. But mark my words: if you ever,  _ ever  _ show up at my door for another fix, I will fucking shoot you on sight. Got it?”

“Got it,” Jayden mumbled.

He followed Silver inside, Blake doing the same. 

“So, what’s your poison?” Silver’s back was turned as he closed and locked the door behind them. 

“It’s uh…” Jayden struggled to find the words.

_ Oh, shit. Not now...not a real withdrawal episode!  _ He could feel the blood as it trickled down his nose. Jayden brought a hand up to his nose to wipe away the blood and the room became sucked into a vortex, spinning around him.

“Uh, Norm,” Blake cleared his throat. “ _ Honey _ ? You okay?”

Jayden tried to turn to grasp on to the detective for support but the vertigo and his now blurry vision caused him to miss and tumble to the floor. He collapsed on to his knees before losing his balance and falling on to his side.

Despite his Tripto-withdrawal induced haze, Jayden was aware of Blake rushing to his side and checking his pulse. As the detective squatted down, Silver, watching the spectacle unfold in his living room, caught a glimpse of metal attached to the older man’s belt.

“You  _ are  _ a cop!” Silver growled. “I’d recognize that badge anywhere!”

“W-wait-” Jayden croaked out.

Silver disappeared from the room for a brief moment before storming back in, a shotgun pointed in the faces of the two law enforcement agents.

“I’ll blow your brains out, you sons of bitches!” he shouted.

Blake jumped up and whipped out the gun from the shoebox from where he had tucked it in his waistband. Silver’s finger was on the trigger; the detective’s finger was on the trigger as well. Things were fuzzy as Jayden’s eyes were still blurred. The fog in his brain was instantly cleared at the sound of BANG ringing out through the apartment. Heart pounding from more than just the Tripto-withdrawal, Jayden blinked repeatedly to steady his gaze. He felt the relief wash over him at the sight of Blake standing and Silver collapsing. Jayden let his head fall back. He stared up at the ceiling and let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding.

“Norman?” 

“Yes, Blake?”

“What just happened here...that wasn’t an act, was it?”

“No, Blake.”

The detective tossed the gun aside and headed over to Jayden and helped him up from the ground.

“Let me help you to the car,” Blake said. “Then I’m going to call this in.”

“What are you going to say?” Jayden asked, his voice hoarse.

“That we were following up on a lead and, seeing that we were cops, Silver let us into his apartment and tried to shoot us.”

“Silver shot first, huh?”

“Yes, he did.”


	14. Rock Bottom

**Five Little Figures  
Chapter 14: Rock Bottom**

_Jayden’s Hotel Room_

**Thursday  
 **4:30pm  
 **3.672 inches******

There were no further questions asked from the police department after Blake had called in the death of Brad Silver. After making the incident report, the two law enforcement agents quietly slipped away from the scene and returned to Jayden’s hotel room. The agent collapsed on the bed while Blake headed into the bathroom to gather materials to clean up Jayden’s face from the dried up blood staining his nose and upper lip.

“So,” Blake started to say.

He poured some hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball and handed it to Jayden. The agent hissed as the cold peroxide fizzed against his skin.

“What was that all about?” the detective continued.

“What was what all about?” Jayden tried to avoid the conversation.

_I really don’t want to have to deal with this, especially not with Blake. Great, I really do sound like a junkie._

“Don’t play dumb with me, Norman,” Blake grumbled. “You weren’t pretending to have a withdrawal episode at the apartment; you _were_ actively withdrawing. What I don’t know is what you’re withdrawing from.”

Jayden closed his eyes and sighed. _Well, here goes nothing. Blake’ll probably turn me in for my addiction and then I’ll get thrown off this case and likely thrown out of the FBI. Goodbye, future. Hello, misery._

“It’s...called Triptocaine. Tripto for short,” Jayden’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“Say what?” Blake questioned. “Triptocaine?”

“Yeah, Tripto.”

The detective motioned for him to continue speaking. Jayden tossed out the bloodied cotton ball in the nearby garbage can before accepting a fresh one from Blake to finish cleaning himself off.

“It was a part of the ARI experiment.”

“ARI? You mean those fancy goggles you were wearing?”

“ARI stands for Added Reality Interface. It’s an experimental evidence detecting system that only a select few in the FBI have been privileged to use. It’s a prototype so there are obvious flaws.” “What kind of flaws?” Blake asked.

“There’s no definitive list yet,” Jayden let out a soft chuckle. “I guess you could say I’m an ARI guinea pig.” “What have _you_ experienced?”

“One of the things the development team wanted to know was how much time could be spent in the ARI system without experiencing any effects. I was interested in that too since sometimes, depending on the case, you may need to pour over case files and evidence for hours on end. I spent quite a few hours playing around with ARI during another case and when I started bleeding from my eyes. Not to mention that it comes with a bitch of a headache afterward.”

“And that’s where the Tripto comes in.”

“Yeah. The lab developed the Triptocaine as a way to combat any possible side effects of ARI overuse. It clears up just about any of the side effects I’ve experienced, including dependence and hallucinations,” Jayden put his head in his hands. “I’ve never taken drugs before, you know, except for the odd painkiller here or there. I didn’t know what it was like. At first, I used the Tripto only to relieve the symptoms from ARI. It relieved it and more. The euphoria, the clarity, it became addicting. I found myself using it more and more and, before I knew it…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. He couldn’t admit the truth that was so obviously right in front of him.

“Before you knew it, you were a junkie,” Blake finished his thought.

“Junkie...it sounds like curse word; I hate even just hearing the word.”

“Yeah, it’s not easy.”

Jayden lifted his head from his hands to look at Blake. He said nothing, despite desperately wanting to question the detective on his response, not wanting to push the man too hard and have him put up his walls again.

Blake got up from the bed and crossed the room. He stood near the window, his back to Jayden.

“Remember what I said earlier about how the first time you shoot someone it’s not the easiest thing to digest?”

“Yes, I remember,” Jayden confirmed.

“I had only been on the force for a few months when it happened. I was just like you, Jayden, a dreamy-eyed kid who was straight-laced and poised to fly through the ranks,” Blake said. “It was a kill-or-be-killed situation. It all happened like it was in slow motion. I remember pulling him pulling the trigger. I remember the bullet barely missing me as I hurled myself out of the way. I remember pointing my gun at the suspect. I remember pulling the trigger...the rest is a blur.”

“It was in the line of duty, Blake. The situation demanded it. You did what you had to do.”

“Sure, but as a young rookie, it destroyed my world. I started...drinking...to forget.”

“Do you...still drink?”

“Not like I used to. I realized what was happening and stopped before it got too bad. Now I know my limits and am damn sure not to drink too much.”

_That’s why he’s like he is. That’s where that gruff exterior comes from. He put up his walls to make his work easier on him mentally and emotionally._

“I understand, Blake,” Jayden said quietly.

Blake turned from the window.

“Normally, I’d say ‘cut the shit, you don’t know anything about me,’ but I think you do understand. I think this was your rock bottom.”

“What part was the rock bottom?” Jayden let out a laugh. “Nearly be shot by a drug dealer we were supposed to kill because of a withdrawal episode or having you save me because of that withdrawal episode?”

“Pretending we were a couple.”

The two law enforcement agents maintained eye contact for another moment before bursting out into laughter. It was a few minutes before their laughter subsided and the mood in the room sobered.

“Hey,” Blake rubbed the back of his neck. “When this is all over, if you, uh…*ahem* need help with your addiction…”

“I appreciate the offer, Blake,” Jayden said with sincerity. “Really. You know? I might take you up on the offer, granted we make it through the last trial without dying.”

“Speaking of which,” Blake fished around in his pocket.

He produced a memory card, which he held up for Jayden to see.

“Another memory card?” Jayden gasped. “Where did you find that?”

“It was in the handle of the gun. After I stuck you in the car, I went back into the apartment to take care of things before Ash and the others arrived. The shark figure said that, after killing Silver, to send a picture. I did and got another memory card.”

“Let’s do this!”

Blake grabbed the cell phone from the shoebox and popped the memory card into the phone before joining Jayden on the bed. The video showed the steady rainfall having increased in volume up to Shaun Mars’ chin. Both law enforcement agents knew that there wasn’t much time left before the boy would be completely submerged in the water and would likely drown like the other victims of the Origami Killer. The hangman appeared afterward, with more letters filled in.

852_H_ O _ _ _ _

ROOSE_ELT _ _ _ _

“R-O-O-S-E-blank-E-L-T,” Jayden spelled out. “I’m assuming that missing letter is V, making the word Roosevelt.”

“Well, there’s Franklin Delano, or Franklin D., Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt, both former presidents who had numerous streets named after them,” Blake stated. “But, based on the letters, the first word is more likely to be Theodore than Franklin since there’s no ‘O’ in Franklin.”

“852 Theodore Roosevelt!” Jayden hopped up from the bed, a surge of renewed energy shooting through him.

It was followed by some lightheadedness. He wavered where he stood, Blake putting a hand on the agent’s back and guiding him down to sit on the bed again.

“We’re still missing a few letters,” the detective pointed out. “And I know for a fact that, while this narrows down our search tremendously, there’s still a couple of streets with Theodore Roosevelt in the name somewhere.”

“What do we want to do?” Jayden asked. “We can get the list of properties from Ash and spend time investigating them all and hope that we find the right one in time or we can complete the last trial and try to get the last few letters to know for certain which place we’re going to.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to divide and conquer,” Blake replied, removing the memory card from the phone. “I’ll have Ash look into the properties while we go check out the last trial. Between the three of us, we can do twice the work in half the time.”

The detective put a hand on the agent’s shoulder.

“We’re going to save Shaun Mars,” he said. “Believe that, Norman. Believe that.”

Jayden did not respond, only giving the detective a nod.

For some reason, he actually believed it.


	15. A Familiar Face

** Five Little Figures   
** **Chapter 15: A Familiar Face**

_ Police Department _

**Thursday  
** **5:13pm  
** **3.774 inches**

Blake’s phone rang as they prepared to examine the final origami figure, the call temporarily delaying their undertaking of the trials. 

“What’s wrong?” Jayden asked, origami figure in hand.

“Just got a call from the department,” Blake stuffed his phone back in his jacket pocket. “The mother of one of the victims was just brought in as a witness in another case. They want me to swing by to see if there’s any connection.”

“Lead the way.”

Arriving at the police department, Jayden followed Blake through the bullpen to his desk where a dark-haired woman and robust older man were waiting. Jayden was admittedly intrigued by the sight of a smile appearing on Blake’s lips.

“Scott Shelby!” the detective greeted the man with a hearty slap on the back. “Are you a sight for sore eyes! How the hell are ya?”

“Carter Blake, it’s been a while,” Shelby looked up at the detective. “I’ve been keeping busy, you know, the usual.”

“So what brings you by? You in trouble again?”

“Wrong time, wrong place! You know what it’s like…”

“You’re a witness in the case, too, huh?” Blake scratched at his beard. “And it’s connected to the Origami Killer case?”

“What makes you say that?” 

The detective nodded toward the woman pacing a few feet away from Ash’s desk. 

“She’s the mom of one of the killer’s victims,” Blake said. “Got a call that she was a witness in a case. Since you, Scott, are a PI and are here too, it makes me think that you two are working together, following a lead for the Origami Killer.”

“Astute as always, Carter,” Shelby said, his expression placid. 

He turned his attention to Jayden, who had been watching the exchange with interest.

“Ah, I assume you must be the federal agent that was brought in to help with the Origami Killer case,” Shelby said to Jayden. 

Jayden unfolded his arms.

“Agent Norman Jayden, FBI,” he introduced himself.

“Scott Shelby, retired detective. I work as a private investigator now,” Shelby looked to Blake, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Never would have pegged you for someone who would so readily accept help from an outside agency, especially on such a big case like this one.”

“He’s been a pain in my ass since he arrived,” Blake said with a laugh. “But...you know? He’s actually shown a lot of dedication and insight that I wouldn’t have thought would have come from a fed. It’s been enlightening.”

Ash, who had chosen to take a sip of his coffee at that moment, choked upon hearing Blake’s oddly kind words for the federal agent when he had been spewing venom toward the same man less than 72 hours ago. He coughed and sputtered, putting his mug aside before getting up to grab some napkins.

“Tell me, Scott, what were you guys up to?” Blake ignored his cohort.

“As you said, we were following up on a lead. The shop owner, Manfred, he went to get something in his office, but he never came back out. A few minutes later, I went in to see if he was okay. That’s when I found him,” Scott ran a hand over his face.

Jayden shifted his weight from one foot to the other, quietly observing the retired cop. Shelby had run a hand over his face and let out a sigh.  _ Seems genuinely distraught over this “Manfred” and his death. I wonder what their lead was that caused them to investigate Manfred and his store. _

“You should have called the police immediately, Mr. Shelby,” Ash said upon his return, hand full of napkins. “It would have saved us dragging your ass down here…”

“Listen, we had nothing to do with his murder,” Shelby replied, tapping his finger against the desk for emphasis. “We were only there by coincidence. I just wanted to spare myself a few hours declaring ‘I didn’t see anything’ to a police officer!”

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Blake assured the other man. “I’ll take care of it. For old time’s sake.”

“Thanks, Carter. I owe you one.”

Blake sat on the edge of the desk and leaned in close to Shelby. He lowered his voice.

“Hey, so, are you on to anything at the moment?” 

Jayden stepped around to the side of the desk, continuing to observe Shelby as he spoke to Blake. Shelby shifted in his chair, turning away from the agent.

“Well, I’ve got some ideas, but nothing concrete,” Shelby replied, his voice equally as quiet.

“Well, if it goes beyond the ideas stage, you’d tell me about it, wouldn’t you, Scott?” Blake asked.

“Sure.”

Jayden frowned.  _ Gee, that didn’t sound convincing at all. What’s this guy hiding? Is he just keeping his cards close to his chest to not reveal his hand too soon or is it something else? _

“Mr. Shelby,” Jayden spoke up. “I don’t think you told Lieutenant Blake  _ exactly  _ what you were doing at Manfred’s shop. What lead were you pursuing?”

Shelby turned in his seat to eye Jayden for a brief moment.

“Manfred is-was-a friend of mine who ran an antique repair shop,” he said. “We were looking in to some antiques.”   
“I highly doubt all of this kerfuffle is over going antiquing,” Blake said with a laugh.

“Oh, Scott,” the woman stormed off in a huff. “Stop beating around the bush! Maybe he can help us!”

She turned to Jayden. The agent’s hard expression softened at the sight of the distraught woman.

“My name is Lauren Winter, my son, Johnny, was killed by the Origami Killer,” she paused to collect herself. “Shortly after Johnny disappeared, Allan-my ex and Johnny’s father-just upped and left me. But he left behind a letter before he vanished; Scott and I were looking into antique typewriters to see if we could get a list of names of customers with that typewriter.”

“Letter?” Jayden immediately repeated.

His eyes darted over to Blake, who was looking right back at him. 

“Ms. Winter,” the agent started to say. “Was this letter, by any chance, kind of cryptic sounding? Almost like a riddle?”

“I don’t know about the letter,” Lauren shook her head. “I only had the envelope. It was addressed to Allan. He must have taken the letter.”

“Where is the envelope?” Blake asked.

“I have it. It’s back at my office,” Shelby narrowed his eyes. “How do you two know about the letter?”

“How do  _ you  _ know about the letter?” Jayden replied. “If Ms. Winters didn’t have the letter, how do you know about it?”

“I may have been asked by the parents of the other victims to look into their sons’ deaths. I think one of them mentioned the cryptic, as you put it, letter.”

Jayden opened his mouth to retort, but was stopped by Blake coughing to interrupt him.

“Well, like I said, Scott, I’ll sweep things under the rug,” the detective said. “For old time’s sake. You two are free to go.”

“Thanks, Carter,” Shelby replied.

He and Lauren then headed out of the department.

“Blake-” Jayden started to say.

“Norm, your office. Now.”

Before Jayden could object, Blake was already en route to the agent’s office. Jayden shut the door behind them.

“What the hell did you interrupt me for?” the agent asked. “He had more information, I know it!”

“I’m sure he did,” Blake said. “But treating him like a criminal isn’t going to help the matter. Jayden, the guy’s an ex-cop, someone I held in high esteem-”

“Oh, that changes everything then,” Jayden’s tone dripped with sarcasm.

Blake ignored him and continued speaking.   
“If you keep pressuring him, Scott will clam up and then we’ll get absolutely nothing out of him.”

“But he already let some things slip! First, he admit he knew about the letter. Ms. Winter said she didn’t have the letter, only the envelope, and yet Shelby knew instantly what we were talking about when we said a ‘cryptic letter’.”

“Scott said he was asked to investigate the deaths of the Origami Killer victims by the other families.”

“Right, and that is pretty believable,” Jayden said. “Unless you’re a cop. Shelby is a retired cop and now he’s a private investigator. If someone gave him a vital clue, like a cryptic letter, something along the lines of Jack the Ripper or the Zodiac Killer, wouldn’t you think he would have remembered who the evidence was from? Police protocol requires that all evidence is intricately documented to make sure that it is admissible in court; I can’t imagine Shelby would have forgotten such a crucial rule after only a few years out of the force.”

Blake stepped toward Jayden, getting directly in the agent’s face. Jayden could feel the detective’s breath against his cheek.

“So, what are you implying, Jayden?” he growled.

“Back off, Blake,” Jayden replied. “Everyone is still a suspect at this point. Right now, our mission is to save Shaun Mars. We can figure out who the identity of the Origami Killer is afterward.”

Blake let out a snort.

“Fine. Let’s just do the last damn trial.”

“Fine.” 

Neither said another word as they left Jayden’s office.


	16. Calling a Bluff

**Five Little Figures**   
**Chapter 16: Calling a Bluff**

_ 961 Rainbow Lane _

**Thursday  
 **6:34pm  
 **3.854 inches******

Opening up the sole remaining origami figure, the rat, in Jayden’s makeshift office before leaving the police department after meeting with Scott Shelby, the law enforcement agents were treated to a simple message: 

_ THE LAST LETTERS  
 _961 Rainbow Lane_ _

Arriving at their destination, Jayden and Blake hurried inside. Blake let out an appreciative whistle as he and Jayden walked inside the hallway.

“Not bad,” he said with a nod. “At least it’s better than most of the dumps we’ve been sent to on this mission.”

“Sure, but the décor is probably deceiving,” Jayden said. “This is the last trial, so I highly doubt the Origami Killer is going to give us the last letters so easily.”

“You’re just a ball of sunshine, aren’t you, Norm?” 

“Just like you, Blakey-poo.”

Blake stopped mid-step. 

“If you ever call me that again, you won’t make it out of the room alive,” he said, a finger pointed at the agent.

Jayden held his hands up in mock surrender. 

“So, I, uh, take it you worked with Scott Shelby before?” he asked instead.

“Yeah, so what of it?” Blake’s response was short and gruff.

_ At least he’s still answering me. Part of him must believe what I told him about something not seeming right with what Scott Shelby was telling us.  _

“Well, tell me about him. What kind of guy was he?” Jayden asked.

“Why, so you can use your psychoanalytical bullshit and try to make him out to be the killer?”

Jayden groaned.

“Just answer the damn question, Blake.”

“Scott Shelby was a good cop. He joined the force after he did a stint in the Marines,” Blake replied. “We worked a couple of cases together. He was a good cop, Jayden.”

“Is there anything that he encountered during his time with the force that really seemed to set him off? You know, a certain type of case or victim that affected him more than others?”

Blake stopped when they reached the end of the hallway. He let out a small breath and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“He was the utmost professional,” Blake started to say.

Jayden waited, expecting the detective to continue his statement. He spoke up to prompt Blake to finish his thoughts. 

“I sense a ‘but’ at the end of that statement,” he said. 

Blake looked away from Jayden, staring off into the adjoining room.

“There was one case a few years ago. It was a homicide; guy got drunk and beat his kid to death. It was tough on all of us, I mean, no one likes to see kids get hurt, but Scott, he really lost it.”

“How so?”

“I think that was the closest I ever came to having to stop someone from beating up a suspect during an interrogation. Scott kept yelling at the guy, screaming at him about how could he let his son die like that, why he wouldn’t protect him, stuff like that. It was like…” Blake paused, his brows furrowing. “It was like it was something personal, like it happened to him.”

“Like it happened to him?” Jayden repeated. 

His voice trailed off as he replayed the detective’s words in his head.  _ I need to investigate Scott Shelby. Does he have a connection to all this?  _

“Thank you for telling me, Blake,” the agent said. “Let’s go finish this trial and save Shaun Mars. We can figure out the killer’s identity afterward.”

“Right,” Blake said in agreement.

They continued forward into the room at the end of the hallway. The room was white and rather pristine; several cameras were set up around a table. On the table was a vial, a stopwatch and a video player. Jayden headed over to the video player and activated the device.

_ The last Trial. The last question: Are you prepared to give your life to save your son's? There is a deadly poison in this vial. It will kill you in exactly 60 minutes. If you drink it, you will get the last letters of the address. You will have enough time to save your son and say goodbye to him, but then you will die. You can drink the vial or decide to leave. The choice is yours.  _

“A deadly poison?” Jayden repeated. 

He grabbed the vial from the table and examined it, squinting as he looked over the contents. Blake snatched the vial from the agent’s hands.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the detective said. “You weren’t seriously considering to drink this stuff, were you?”

“Maybe. I was actually examining the vial because I think this might be a bluff.”

Blake raised an eyebrow at the agent.

“How the hell do you figure that?” he asked.

“The video player said that the poison will kill the person who consumes it within 60 minutes. That’s a very exact amount of time. There’s no consideration for the factors that may affect how fast the poison affects the body, like weight, age, metabolism, gender, et cetera, plus different poisons interact with the body in different ways. Unless this was specifically calculated to match Ethan Mars’ specific characteristics, I don’t believe what’s in the vial will kill us. At least, not within an hour.”

“Oh, that’s really reassuring, Norm,” Blake rolled his eyes.

“Think about it, Blake,” Jayden said. “All of these trials have been a test from the killer to the fathers of the victims on what they are willing to do or sacrifice to save their son. If this is the last trial, then the killer should already know the lengths that these men have gone to in order to rescue their child; he obviously is looking for a father who is capable of saving his son, so what would be the point of killing that man and taking him away from his son?” “Because he’s a sick fuck, that’s why.”

“I’m not going to argue that fact, but I think it’s more than that. I think it’s because the killer is looking for a father to save  _ him  _ the way his real father must not have been able to. I think that’s where all of this stems from; he is looking for someone to save his son like his own father was unable to.”

Blake did not respond; his focus was solely on the vial in his hand. Jayden watched him silently, a frown on his face.  _ What is he thinking? I can’t get a read on him. He hasn’t immediately debated anything I’ve said, so I have no idea what’s going on in that head of his. _

“I know this is like dangling a pipe or a needle in front of an addict,” Blake finally said. “But, do you have your fancy goggles on you?”

“ARI?” Jayden’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yes, I have them in my pocket. Why?”

“Can you pull up Ethan Mars’ profile?”

“Sure, I can, but why?”

“Just do it, Norm.”

With a huff, Jayden withdrew his ARI glasses and glove. He let out a breath before placing the glasses on his head and searching for the information Blake requested. 

“Ethan Mars, born September 5, 1973. Height, five foot ten inches tall, and weight, 164 pounds. Occupation, architect,” Jayden read the details aloud. “Looking for anything in particular?”

Not receiving an answer, the agent disconnected from ARI. He returned his glasses to his jacket pocket, along with the accompanying glove. Jayden found Blake standing in the same spot he had been moments ago, but had turned and now had his back facing the agent.

“Uh, Blake?” the agent questioned. 

_ Something’s wrong. Something’s very wrong. _

His eyes widened in horror as he saw Blake place the vial on the desk. It was empty.

“You didn’t,” Jayden choked on the words.

“You know, it kind of tasted like grape cough syrup,” Blake said, his back still facing the agent. “I always hated grape flavored meds.”

Jayden grabbed Blake’s shoulder and spun him around. The detective’s face was expressionless.

“What the hell were you thinking, Blake?” Jayden squealed.

“It’s like you said,” Blake said with a shrug. “It’s probably a bluff. And, if it isn’t, I’m close enough in height to Ethan Mars that it should take only about an hour to kill me.”

The agent grabbed the detective by the lapels and shook him.

“But why the  _ fuck  _ would you do that?!”

“Jayden, I’m a jaded old cop with no future. If I don’t have a heart attack in the next few years or get killed on the job, I’d consider that a happy ending. You, on the other hand, have a future. You’re still young and, as much as I hate to admit it, you’re a good cop. I never would have pegged you as having the balls to do half the stuff we’ve done over the past 48 hours when you first strolled in to the department as the golden boy who was expected to save us all,” Blake said. “Besides, you said it was a bluff, right?”

“But what if I’m wrong?!” Jayden could feel the hot sting of tears from his eyes.

He was uncertain if they were from anger, frustration or grief. 

“Then I’ll get what’s coming to me.”

Jayden’s grasp loosened immediately upon hearing the detective’s words and his hands fell to his sides.

“Then you’ll get what’s coming to you?” he repeated.

“That incident I mentioned earlier, about Scott Shelby,” Blake turned to the table and grabbed the watch, which had started the countdown from 60 minutes. “After the interrogation where Scott lost his shit, I was questioned by my superiors about the incident. I played it off, like it was nothing, even though something didn’t feel right at the time. I swept it under the rug. You know, Blue Code of Silence; one cop having another cop’s back. Maybe if I had said something, Scott would have been investigated and had a psych eval. Maybe, if he is the Origami Killer-though I’m not saying he is-he could have been caught earlier and none of these kids would have lost their lives or the fathers losing theirs while taking on these asinine trials.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a ding coming from the cell phone from the shoebox.  _ The last letters have been sent to your phone _ , the message said.

852 THEODORE   
ROOSEVELT ROAD

Both men looked up from the phone. Jayden tried to swallow down the lump that had formed in his throat.

“Blake-” he started to say.

The detective held a hand up to stop him.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Blake turned and started toward the exit.

“If anything happens,” Jayden continued anyway. “I just want you to know that I’ll be by your side the entire time.”

The detective stopped. He looked over his shoulder at the agent.

“Thanks, Jayden,” Blake said. “Truly.”

Jayden came to stand next to the detective, placing a hand on the other man’s shoulder.


	17. Second Chances

**Five Little Figures  
** **Chapter 17: Second Chances**

_ 852 Theodore Roosevelt Road _

**Thursday  
** **7:22pm  
** **3.924 inches**

There was a fog hovering over the grounds of the docks when Blake and Jayden pulled up in their cruiser, the gray billowy clouds swirling and parting as the vehicle cut through them. Parking outside the monstrous abandoned warehouse, the two law enforcement agents surveyed the area. Jayden’s eyes drifted over to the watch on Blake’s wrist, cringing every second the watch ticked down. 

“Stop staring at the watch,” Blake said, his head turned to look out the driver’s side window. 

“Sorry,” Jayden sighed. “I can’t help it.”

“Listen, I drank the shit in the vial at about seven, so I still have a little over a half hour left before this thing reaches zero. That’s still plenty of time to do what we need to do to save the kid.”

Jayden forced himself to give the detective a nod. Blake exited the vehicle and the agent followed suit. The temperature had dropped considerably as the rain continued, their breaths appearing as puffs of smoke in front of their faces. Blake and Jayden looked around the area. 

“What is this place?” Jayden asked.

“This used to be a port for shipping,” Blake pointed toward the docks off in the distance. “The business that owned the warehouse and most of the ships closed down a few years ago due to financial trouble. Place has been abandoned since then as far as I know. I think someone bought it, but they obviously haven’t done shit with the property.”

“Is this the only building?” Jayden nodded toward the giant gray warehouse looming against the stormy skies in the distance. 

“I think there are some small storage warehouses toward the docks, but this was the main facility.”

They crossed the asphalt toward the warehouse, finding a door with a sign that said “push this way” on the wall a few feet over. Sliding the door open, both Jayden and Blake withdrew their guns from their holsters before proceeding inside. Guns trained in front of them, the warehouse door groaned as it closed behind the two law enforcement agents. 

The building was dark, the only light coming through the windows from the intermittent bolts of lightning from the sky overhead and the holes in the roof. Broken pieces of wood and glass littered the floors. Pieces of rusted piping were strewn about.

“Anything?” Jayden whispered to Blake.

The detective shook his head. Blake then motioned toward the opposite end of the warehouse. The two cops kept their guns pointed forward as they progressed across the floor. Jayden shoved his gun back in his holster the moment he laid eyes on the grate in the ground a few feet away. He dashed forward before Blake had a chance to question him.

“Holy Christ! Hang on kid!” Jayden said breathlessly, kneeling down in front of the grate.

Blake raced over to the agent as he began to yank and pull at the grate.

“It’s not gonna work, Jayden!” he said. “There’s a lock on there!”

Before Jayden could respond, Blake pushed him out of the way. Kneeling down, Blake placed the barrel of his gun against the lock.

“Shaun, shield your eyes,” Jayden instructed before taking his own advice and covering his face with his arm.

Blake pulled the trigger and the lock exploded, metal fragments flying across the room and into the drywell with a quiet splash. Jayden flopped forward, losing his footing on the slippery concrete floors, as he moved over to begin lifting the grate. Blake stowed his gun away and assisted the agent. 

“Almost...there!” the detective gritted his teeth.

With a final forceful shove, the two cops threw the grate up and open. Jayden got down on his stomach and reached into the drywell, fishing the young boy out of the rising waters. Blake grabbed a hold of Shaun’s jacket and helped Jayden to hoist him out. Carefully laying Shaun on the ground, Jayden rapidly assessed the boy.

“Oh shit...he’s not breathing!” Jayden’s heart was pounding. “He’s not breathing!”

The agent put his hands on Shaun’s chest and began compressions in an attempt to revive him. Blake knelt down on the opposite side of the boy, grabbing a hold of his wrist and checking for a pulse. His hand was clammy and limp.

“Come on, breathe, breathe!” Jayden hissed out as he continued his efforts.

He paused the compressions in order to administer two breaths into the boy’s mouth. Jayden’s eyes flicked to Blake, who shook his head. The agent resumed the chest compressions. 

Another compression.

Another compression.

No pulse.

Another compression.

Another compression.

No pulse.

Jayden administered another breath into the boy’s mouth, Blake’s grip on Shaun’s hand tightening with each passing moment. With a cough and a sputter, Shaun began to stir. 

“I’ve got a pulse!” Blake said with a laugh of relief.

Jayden ripped off his coat and folded it haphazardly before lifting Shaun’s head to place it underneath it. 

“You’re ok, Shaun, you’re okay,” the agent said. “You’re safe now...you’re safe.”

Jayden kept repeating his words, as if struggling to believe it himself. The two law enforcement agents exchanged a glance, their expressions a mixture of relief, elation and shock. Blake had opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Jayden sliding across the floor after receiving a swift kick to the back of the ribs. The detective’s head whipped up to face Jayden’s assailant.

“What are you doin’ here?” Scott Shelby growled, fists clenched at his sides. “You’re NOT his father!”

Blake scooted forward to shield Shaun from the retired cop. He saw Jayden struggling to his knees out of the corner of his eye. Shelby continued ranting as he stomped back and forth.

“Only his father can save him!” he said. “You got no business here!”

The retired cop threw another forceful kick to Jayden’s ribs, sending the agent tumbling over on to his side. Jayden wrapped an arm around his middle and clenched his eyes shut.  _ If I have any ribs still in one piece at the end of this, it will be a miracle _ , he thought to himself before the shooting pain silenced any further musings.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Scott?” Blake yelled, attempting to draw the retired cop’s attention away from the ailing agent. 

“I’ve been waiting so long for a father capable of giving his life for his son...and what do I get?!” Shelby ignored the detective and continued with his tirade. “Nothing! Nobody!”

Jayden hissed as he tried to roll over on to his knees; his efforts were met with a roundhouse to the face. Blake turned his head to see Jayden on his stomach, his head down as he gasped for breath. He spit out something dark, which Blake could only assume it was blood. When the detective turned his head back toward the retired cop, he found Shelby had produced a gun. 

“What’s real love, if it isn’t sacrifice?!” Shelby waved the gun around as he continued his tirade. “All those people saying they love each other-they’re just a pack of liars!!!”

The retired cop pointed the gun at Jayden, who was still on his stomach, fighting for air. He was unaware of the weapon being aimed directly at him. 

“You shouldn’t have gotten mixed up in this,” Shelby’s voice was even, though it seethed with rage. 

He took a step forward toward Jayden, who weakly looked up. With a tremulous hand, he swatted at the gun, but Jayden’s failing strength prevented him from moving the weapon more than an inch. 

“You discovered my little secret,” Shelby repositioned his gun to point at the agent again. “And it will die with you…”

Jayden raised an arm to shield his face. Holding in a breath, Blake slithered up to his feet as silently as possible. Shelby cocked back the hammer, his gun still trained on the agent, when Blake took advantage of the retired cop’s lack of focus on him to strike back. He shoved Shelby forward and Jayden stuck his foot out to trip him. Shelby stumbled forward before crashing to the ground. His gun skittered across the floor. 

The retired cop pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. Looking over his shoulder, he was met with Blake and Jayden both pointing guns at him. Shelby popped up from the ground and shot across the warehouse, running toward the exit.

“Bastard,” Jayden hissed. “You’re not going to get away that easily!”

He attempted to get up on to his feet, but grimaced in pain. Blake put a hand on the agent’s shoulder.

“Jayden, you can’t go after him,” the detective said. “He probably broke more ribs and you don’t need to risk puncturing a lung for that son of a bitch. You stay here and take care of Shaun. Call Ash and have him send the calvary. I’ll go after Scott.”

Jayden was in no shape to argue with Blake; he merely nodded and stuffed his gun back in his holster. The agent crawled over to Shaun as Blake ran after Shelby.

“Are you all right, Shaun?” he asked, breaths labored and painful.

“Yes...yes, I think so,” Shaun replied. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’ll be here, don’t worry,” Jayden replied.

He collapsed on the floor next to the boy. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he did what Blake requested and contacted Ash.

“Hey, Ash, it’s Jayden. Got a message for you from Blake.”

***

His lungs were burning as he raced up stairwell after stairwell. Blake couldn’t recall the last time he had so much strenuous activity. He spied the fluttering beige coattails of Shelby’s jacket at the top of the conveyor belt platform. Blake heaved himself up the rest of the way, the crisp air lighting his lungs on fire as he fought to breathe. He paused at the top for an instant, bracing a hand on the railing. Blake scanned the area, searching for any sight of Shelby.

A smack to the back knocked the air out of the detective. He lost his balance and fell forward, his fingers slipping off of the wet platform before he could grab on to it. Blake tumbled down to the conveyor belt below, his assailant landing a few feet away from him. 

“Scott, you stupid son of a bitch!” Blake growled through gritted teeth as he got on to his hands and knees and pushed himself up to his feet. “How could you do this?”

Instead of answering the detective, Shelby charged at him. Blake deflected the attack, barring his arms against the former cop. They fell back on to the platform against after slipping on the wet and moving metal of the conveyor belt. 

“I trusted you!” Blake shouted, getting back to his feet. “We all trusted you! You were sworn to protect and serve, not take lives!”

Shelby moved to throw a punch at the detective and he dodged it. Blake looked away for a split second at the conveyor belt, feeling his foot swiping against the edge. The moment’s delay was all Shelby needed to gain the upper hand; he wrapped his hands around Blake’s neck and began to choke him. 

“You have no idea what it’s like to know that you’ve been a worthless nothing in your father’s eyes!” the retired cop growled. “I had to find a father who was capable of saving his son; that’s when I remembered the Mars family.”

Blake coughed and sputtered as Shelby continued to squeeze his throat, his vision becoming spotty. 

“Seeing how he was willing to sacrifice his life in order to try and save his son from being hit by that car...it made me realize that my father  _ could  _ have saved my brother...but he just chose not to!”

The detective thrust his knee up and into Shelby’s groin, causing the bigger man to loosen his grip just enough for Blake to break his grasp. Blake gasped as air rushed into his lungs and his vision cleared. Shelby recovered and elbowed the detective in his face. Blake felt warmth trickling down his lip. It was too warm for the rain; a quick swipe revealed it was blood running from his nose.

Blake charged toward Shelby. His foot caught a slippery spot and he latched on to Shelby’s arm to keep himself from plummeting to the ground below. Shelby seized the opportunity granted by the contact and, pushing a shoulder into the detective’s chest, flipped Blake up and over his shoulder. Blake landed on his back with a thud, pain shooting throughout his body as the air was forced out of every cell. 

There was no time for the detective to dwell on his pain, as he opened his eyes and found Shelby standing above him, a broken television hoisted above his head. Blake rolled to his left to avoid being struck. Looking up at the retired cop again, Blake saw Shelby poised to throw some broken pieces of wood at him. Blake rolled away again, his left foot dangling off the platform.

Crawling forward on his hands and knees, the detective did his best to avoid the barrage of trash being hurled at him. Shelby turned around to pick up a piece of metal piping. Blake heaved himself up and managed to throw an arm up in front of his head to block the strike. The force of the strike shot a shockwave through the detective’s left arm. His arm bones felt as though they were a bell that had just been rung, still vibrating from the impact. 

Shelby cocked the pipe back and swung it at Blake again, who stepped back to dodge the attack. The retired cop swiped at the detective with the pipe and Blake took another step back, losing his footing as his foot slipped against some trash behind him on the platform. He fell on to his back; Shelby flopped onto his knees and shoved the pipe into Blake’s throat, choking him. Blake wedged his hands in between his throat and the pipe, gritting his teeth as he fought to breathe. 

Thrusting his foot forward, Blake struck Shelby in the shin and he loosened his grip on the metal pipe enough for the detective to knock it away. Blake reached behind him and grabbed a thin curved and rusted piece of metal piping and threw it at Shelby. He brought his hands up to deflect the object and Blake whipped his foot behind Shelby’s legs to knock him off balance. Shelby stumbled backward but caught himself. Blake grabbed on to one of Shelby’s feet as he tried to step forward and the retired cop fell to his knees, one on either side of Blake’s body. 

Shelby thrust the pipe down again to strangle Blake, but he rammed his knees up and into Shelby’s back. The retired cop winced and the pipe fell from Blake’s neck. Blake ripped the pipe from Shelby’s grasp and smacked the man across the face. Shelby teetered over and landed on the platform next to Blake. The detective shoved himself up onto his knees and struck Shelby repeatedly. 

Shelby took a note out of Blake’s playbook and repeated the maneuver that the detective had executed a few minutes before by using his foot to sweep Blake’s feet out from underneath him. The pipe popped out of Blake’s hand and rolled off the platform. Blake grabbed a wooden door broken off from a cabinet, bracing one arm against it as he used it as a shield against Shelby, who had found another weapon: a sledgehammer. The sledgehammer broke the door, the wood splintering down the middle. Blake hurled the fractured door at Shelby and knocked him back and down onto the platform. 

The detective’s lungs burned and tears welled up in his eyes as the fight continued to drag on. He prepared himself for another onslaught as he watched Shelby get up; Blake let out a short-lived sigh of relief as Shelby moved away from him and toward a metal platform at the end of the conveyor belt. 

“What the hell is he doing…” Blake muttered to himself.

Shelby put a hand on the railing, his breathing just as labored as Blake’s, perhaps even more so. Blake looked left and right, finding a wrench just above his left shoulder. He tried to move his left hand, but found his fingers numb and grip strength zapped. Blake reached up and around with his right hand, grabbing on to the tool before flinging it at Shelby. It struck the retired cop and he took a few steps backward. Blake’s heart thumped against his ribcage as Shelby danced ever closer to the edge of the platform. 

The conveyor brought Blake a few feet away from Shelby, giving the detective a front row seat to watch as Shelby slipped off the platform. He managed to grasp the edge of the platform before he would have fallen completely off the conveyor belt. Blake crawled off the conveyor and on to the platform, peering over the edge at Shelby.

“Save me!” Shelby pleaded with Blake. “Please save me.”

Blinking, Blake ran Shelby’s words through his mind. Did he really just ask to be saved, after all of the murders and the misery he caused? 

Blake kept his distance, shimmying close enough to glance over Shelby to see what awaited the man at the bottom if he fell. The end of the conveyor belt led to a waste crusher, its massive jaws snapping and crunching anything that entered its mouth.

“You were a cop, for fuck’s sake!” Blake yelled, glaring down at Shelby, who still dangled from the platform. “How could you do it, Scott? How could you kill all those innocent kids? Even prisoners don’t like people who hurt kids!”

“Please, save me, Carter,” Shelby continued. 

He reached up toward Blake with an outstretched hand. Blake pushed himself up to his feet and stared down at Shelby, fists clenched at his side. 

“I’m going to do something that I should have done years ago,” the detective said, taking a step forward. 

“Carter, help me-” Shelby pleaded.

“No. I kept my mouth shut years ago when I should have said something but I thought I was doing the right thing by protecting my brother in blue,” Blake shook his head. “I let you walk free and that gave you the opportunity to kill a bunch of innocent children. I’m not going to let you have that chance again. I’m going to protect all of the children of this city from you, Scott, by never letting you hurt anyone again. This is my second chance to make things right.”

Blake put his foot on Shelby’s fingers and pressed down with as much pressure as he could muster. Shelby held on for a few more moments before he yanked his hand away. The slickness of the platform from the constant rain caused the fingers of his free hand to slide right over the metal as he reached out for the platform; Shelby tumbled down away from the platform and into the waiting jaws of the waste crusher. Blake closed his eyes and turned away from the bloody mess that was surely waiting down below.

The detective pulled his left arm to his chest, cradling his injured limb as he sat down-collapsing, really-on the platform. The gray skies above his head were illuminated by flashes of red and blue. Blake heard the sirens of the impending police cruisers increasing in volume as they paraded ever closer to the warehouse. He closed his eyes and waited for the calvary to arrive.


	18. Common Ground

**Five Little Figures  
** **Chapter 18: Common Ground**

_Hospital_

**Friday  
**9:07am  
**4.998 inches******

With a yawn, Jayden opened his eyes. He tried to stretch, but winced from the soreness radiating throughout his body. Despite that, he was feeling pretty good. It was the first time in a long time that he slept, actually, blissfully, slept. _Pain meds are a beautiful thing_ , Jayden thought to himself. Doing his best to rotate his body through the mess of wires attached to him, he flipped on to his back. The steady, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor adjacent to his hospital bed was quickly lulling him back to sleep but, before he could doze off again, a voice from somewhere in the room caused him to open his eyes.

“It’s ‘bout time you woke up, Sleeping Beauty.”

Jayden raised his head and laid eyes on Blake. He was seated in the plush blue armchair near the window. A black cast covered his left arm from his hand to his elbow.

“Nice to see you too, Blake,” Jayden rubbed his eyes. “What happened to your arm?”

“Blocked a metal pipe being swung full force at my face,” Blake lifted his arm for effect. “Got a real nice fracture for my efforts.”

“Could have been worse,” Jayden said with a shrug. “Could have broken your face.”

“Which is exactly why I sacrificed my arm; can’t damage my money maker.”

Jayden let out a snort. Blake fished around in his coat pocket with his good hand and withdrew a small rectangular box with a frilly yellow bow on top of it. He tossed it to Jayden.

“Got a present for you,” Blake said.

Jayden scooped up the box from where it had landed on his legs.

“Aw, Carter, you shouldn’t have,” he said, a mischievous grin pulling at the edges of his mouth.

“Just open the damn box.”

The agent did as instructed and commenced opening the box. He removed the bow and tossed it aside in his hospital bed. Jayden then opened the lid and looked at the contents inside.

“A watch?” he questioned. “I appreciate the gesture, Blake, but this is unnecessary-”

Blake held up his good hand to stop the agent from speaking.

“Take a look again,” the detective said.

Jayden picked the watch up from the box and studied it. It was nothing remarkable. The watch had a simple black leather band and a silver watch face. Like the wheels of a machine locking into place, the significance of the gift struck Jayden.

“This is the watch from the last trial,” he gasped. “The one that was counting down how much time you had after drinking the poison!”

“Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner,” Blake smirked. “And, as I’m sure you can tell, I’m still alive. It was just a hoax. In fact, when I was being checked out after the whole to-do at the docks, I asked the staff to do a toxicology panel on me. So far, nothing suspicious to report.”

Jayden ran his fingers over the watch again.

“I have to say, Blake, that this is one of the best gifts I could have asked for.”

“I’ll do you one even better,” Blake stood up from the chair.

He grabbed the robe from the closet near the bathroom door and tossed it at Jayden. Blake pulled the wheelchair from the corner of the room and drove it toward Jayden’s hospital bed.

“Get dressed,” he instructed. “We’re going on a field trip.”

“Oh, goody,” Jayden replied, putting the watch back in the box for safekeeping. “I like field trips.”

It took some careful maneuvering to get the robe on, disconnecting several wires and IVs from Jayden, along with slow movements to avoid jarring his confirmed-to-be broken ribs. Seated in the wheelchair, Jayden could feel Blake fumbling with the handles as he tried to find a way to hold on to the left one with the cast on his arm. Once he found a comfortable way to drive the wheelchair without sending Jayden directly into the wall, Blake pushed the agent out of his room and into the hallway. They took an elevator up to the next floor. When the elevator doors opened, Jayden was greeted with the sight of a brightly painted butterfly and an array of flowers on the wall; he shuddered at the sight of the artwork, flashbacks of his time in the powerplant popping into his head. Jayden closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memory.

The agent opened his eyes moments later and found himself down the hallway outside of a patient’s room. Jayden looked up behind him at Blake, but the detective said nothing and instead wheeled him into the room. A smile broke out on his face at the sight of the person they had come to visit: Shaun Mars. The boy was seated in the hospital bed playing a handheld video game, with his parents, Ethan and Grace seated on either side of him. Balloons were attached to a teddy bear that sat on the end table next to the bed, all expressing well wishes to the young boy. There were also some brightly colored cards in a stack near the bear, a collection of ‘get well cards’ from the boy’s classmates.

“Hey, Shaun, looks like we have some visitors,” Ethan said, ruffling his son’s hair.

Shaun looked up from the game. He studied Jayden’s face for a moment before grinning and waving.

“I remember you,” he said to Jayden as Blake wheeled him over. “You helped get me out of the water!”

“That’s right,” Jayden said. “How are you feeling, Shaun?”

“A little tired, but happy to be back with my Dad and my Mom,” Shaun held up the video game for Jayden to see. “Look what my Dad got me!”

“Cool, Shaun, really cool. Hey, is that Mario Kart?” Jayden asked, to which the boy nodded. “I’ll have to get my game from my hotel room and we’ll play a round or two together, what do you think?”

“That would be awesome!”

Jayden heard Blake mutter “nerd” under his breath; he took his feet off the pedals and shoved himself backward, one of the handles of the wheelchair striking the detective in the gut. Jayden smirked to himself when he heard Blake’s sharp intake of breath.

“Thank you, both of you, truly,” Ethan said.

He rose from his chair and came over to shake both men’s hands.

“I heard a little bit of what happened from Lieutenant Blake and I can’t express how thankful I am, how thankful we all are, for all that you went through to bring Shaun home safe and sound. You put your lives in danger time and again,” Ethan paused, taking a moment to collect himself. “If there is anything we can do to repay you-”

Jayden held a hand up to stop the father from speaking.

“Seeing Shaun here, alive and well, is reward enough,” he said, his voice soft and genuine.

They said their goodbyes and Blake wheeled Jayden back down to his room. Jayden slipped back under the covers after reconnecting his wires and leads and Blake took a seat in the armchair adjacent to the bed.

“Well,” the agent started to say. “I’m sure you’re happy now, Blake. Since the case is over, once all the paperwork is finished, I’ll be out of your hair for good.”

Blake did not immediately respond. Jayden turned his attention to the detective. He was seated in the chair, his chin resting in his good hand, his arm perched on the armrest.

“It’s going to be different, not having you around,” Blake finally mumbled.

“I’m sure you’re thrilled.”

The detective’s eyes drifted over to Jayden’s.

“I never said that was a good thing.”

Jayden cocked his head, replaying Blake’s words over again in his mind.

“So, you’re saying that you _like_ having me around?” he said. “Did I hear that right? It’s not the drugs making me loopy?”

“Shut up, Norman, before I take it back,” Blake grumbled.

Jayden let out a soft chuckle.

“Uh, Blake?” he asked.

“Don’t make me regret saying anything like that to you.”

“I’m just curious,” the agent continued despite the detective’s warning. “What caused your sudden change of heart?”

“I guess when you spend time with someone going to hell and back, you learn something about them,” Blake reclined in the armchair. “I have to admit that, when you first showed up at the department, I hated you. Well, not really you personally, but the idea of some hot shot federal agent coming in and taking over my investigation and magically figuring out whodunit with his fancy gadgets and psychology degree in a span of a few days when I hadn’t been able to in two years. But then, when we found the letter which led us to the shoebox and started taking on the trials, I saw how you put yourself in danger without a single concern over whether or not you were going to make it out alive. I saw how the only thing you cared about was saving the kid. I gotta say, Norm, that was a pretty gallant thing you did. Gotta respect that. And, you know, it made me realize that I had no reason to hate you because we had common ground between us: saving Shaun Mars.”

“Common ground,” Jayden repeated. “Huh. Who’d have thunk that we’d have some common ground, eh, Carter?”

“I sure as hell didn’t, that’s for sure. Then again, I also didn’t expect one of my former fellow officers to turn out to be a serial killer.”

“Life’s just full of surprises, I guess.”

“You said it.”


	19. Epilogue

**Five Little Figures  
** **Chapter 19: Epilogue**

_ Jayden’s Hotel Room _

**Sunday  
** **2:20pm  
** **No rain.  
** **Slightly overcast.**

Blake sat on the bed, watching as Jayden flitted about the hotel room packing his belongings. He’d been released from the hospital a few days ago and spent the last few nights finishing up the case work. With the Origami Killer case officially closed, the agent was expected to return to the FBI headquarters in Washington.

“What’s on the agenda when you get back to Washington?” Blake asked, reclining back against the headboard. “Got a honey waiting for you?”

“Oh yeah, quite a few,” Jayden said, his back toward the detective. “Let’s see...there’s Missy, Honey, Sassy and Quintessa. Oh, and Jessie and James, too.”

He looked over his shoulder at Blake, whose expression betrayed his shock, and chuckled. Jayden closed his suitcase and turned around to face the bewildered detective.

“I’m kidding, Blake,” he said. “Those are all dogs and cats that I’ve fostered in the past. Since I travel a lot, I can’t really keep any big pets like that, so I foster instead when I’m in Washington for a while. Jessie and James, though, are my African Dwarf Frogs. My neighbor’s kids like to feed and play with them while I’m away. They’re shy froggies, so they don’t mind when I’m not around.”

Blake’s expression softened before returning to its baseline scowling state.

“Yeah, you would be that weird reptile and amphibian guy,” he said. 

“What’s wrong with amphibians and reptiles?” Jayden asked. “They really are quite fascinating-”

Blake held a hand up to stop him from continuing.

“They’re just not my cup of tea,” he said. “Nothin’ against them; they’re just not for me.”

“Well, then what  _ is  _ for you, Blake? I know you said you have nieces and nephews,” Jayden said. “But is there anyone special that you’re going to share your victory over the Origami Killer with?”

“What, are we bros now?” Blake folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t think that it’s any of your business, Mr. Federal Agent.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’, then.”

Jayden got up from the bed and crossed the room to the desk opposite the bed, fishing around in the briefcase for a moment. He produced a small box, similar to the one Blake had given him while in the hospital that contained the watch from the Rat Trial. 

“I have something for you this time, Blake,” Jayden said.

He handed the detective the box. Blake eyed the gift for a moment before opening the box. He frowned.

“What the hell is this?”

“A gift from you to me,” Jayden said.

He came over to where Blake was seated, a brilliant grin on his face. Inside the box was a silver permanent marker. Jayden plucked the marker out of the box and removed the cap. Before Blake could have a chance to protest, Jayden scribbled a signature on the detective’s cast: Jayden 💕.

“A heart?!” Blake yanked his arm away from Jayden and examined his cast. “What the fuck, Norm? I’m going to have to walk around with your name and these fucking hearts for the next six weeks? That’s it. I’m going to straight back to the hospital to have a new cast put on before any of the guys at the department see this-”

“I wouldn’t want you to forget me, Blake,” Jayden said with a grin.

“I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to, Norm.”

“Even if you wanted to,” Jayden repeated. “Which means you  _ don’t  _ want to forget about me. See? I knew you liked me.”

“Enough with the psychological bullshit. That is something I definitely will not miss.”

“But you’ll miss the rest of me.”

“Don’t push it.”

“Speaking of, as you so eloquently put it, ‘psychological bullshit’,” Jayden said. “I have to tell you, Blake, when I first met you, I couldn’t help but profile you.”

The detective smirked, amused by this information.

“Oh yeah? And what did your schmancy profile tell you about me?” he asked.

“You immediately struck me as an unbalanced psychopathic asshole.”

Blake’s smile vanished and was replaced by his usual scowl.

“I see,” he said through gritted teeth.

“But, the thing is, I was sort of...wrong. I mean, yeah, you’re still an asshole,” Jayden chuckled as Blake swore at him under his breath. “But working alongside you, completing the trials, and reading the report about what transpired between you and Shelby up on the conveyor belt, I realize that my first impression was merely the front you put on for people. You’re really something more than that.”

“More than that?” Blake repeated. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve done a lot of research and studying in my criminal profiling training. Of all the materials I’ve read and terms I’ve learned, I think there’s one that best describes my view of you now,” Jayden walked over to where Blake was seated and extended his hand for a handshake. “And that word is: friend.”

Blake eyed the agent’s hand for a brief moment before reaching out his hand to shake Jayden’s. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Jayden had pulled the detective into a hug. The agent couldn’t quell his laughter upon seeing Blake’s prominent scowl when he released him from the embrace.  _ If looks could kill, I would have been dead ten times over. _

“You’re lucky I only have one good hand right now, otherwise, I would have strangled you,” Blake said. “But, I suppose, I shouldn’t do that to my  _ friend _ .”

Jayden grinned. 

“Coming from you, that is the utmost compliment,” he said.

“Damn right it is,” Blake grumbled.

Despite his rough tone, Jayden saw the corners of his lips curl up in a smile.


	20. Epilogue: The Blayden Ending

**Five Little Figures  
** **Chapter 20: The Blayden Ending**

_Jayden’s Hotel Room_

**Sunday  
****2:20pm  
**No rain.********

**Slightly overcast.**

Blake sat on the bed, watching as Jayden flitted about the hotel room packing his belongings. He’d been released from the hospital a few days ago and spent the last few nights finishing up the case work. With the Origami Killer case officially closed, the agent was expected to return to the FBI headquarters in Washington.

“What’s on the agenda when you get back to Washington?” Blake asked, reclining back against the headboard. “Got a honey waiting for you?”

“Oh yeah, quite a few,” Jayden said, his back toward the detective. “Let’s see...there’s Missy, Honey, Sassy and Quintessa. Oh, and Jessie and James, too.”

He looked over his shoulder at Blake, whose expression betrayed his shock, and chuckled. Jayden closed his suitcase and turned around to face the bewildered detective.

“I’m kidding, Blake,” he said. “Those are all dogs and cats that I’ve fostered in the past. Since I travel a lot, I can’t really keep any big pets like that, so I foster instead when I’m in Washington for a while. Jessie and James, though, are my African Dwarf Frogs. My neighbor’s kids like to feed and play with them while I’m away. They’re shy froggies, so they don’t mind when I’m not around.”

Blake’s expression softened before returning to its baseline scowling state.

“Yeah, you would be that weird reptile and amphibian guy,” he said.

“What’s wrong with amphibians and reptiles?” Jayden asked. “They really are quite fascinating-”

Blake held a hand up to stop him from continuing.

“They’re just not my cup of tea,” he said. “Nothin’ against them; they’re just not for me.”

“Well, then what _is_ for you, Blake? I know you said you have nieces and nephews,” Jayden said. “But is there anyone special that you’re going to share your victory over the Origami Killer with?”

“What, are we bros now?” Blake folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t think that it’s any of your business, Mr. Federal Agent.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’, then.”

Jayden got up from the bed and crossed the room to the desk opposite the bed, fishing around in the briefcase for a moment. He produced a small box, similar to the one Blake had given him while in the hospital that contained the watch from the Rat Trial.

“I have something for you this time, Blake,” Jayden said.

He handed the detective the box. Blake eyed the gift for a moment before opening the box. He frowned.

“What the hell is this?”

“A gift from you to me,” Jayden said.

He came over to where Blake was seated, a brilliant grin on his face. Inside the box was a silver permanent marker. Jayden plucked the marker out of the box and removed the cap. Before Blake could have a chance to protest, Jayden scribbled a signature on the detective’s cast: Jayden 💕.

“A heart?!” Blake yanked his arm away from Jayden and examined his cast. “What the fuck, Norm? I’m going to have to walk around with your name and these fucking hearts for the next six weeks? That’s it. I’m going to straight back to the hospital to have a new cast put on before any of the guys at the department see this-”

“I wouldn’t want you to forget me, Blake,” Jayden said with a grin.

“I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to, Norm.”

“Even if you wanted to,” Jayden repeated. “Which means you _don’t_ want to forget about me. See? I knew you liked me.”

“Enough with the psychological bullshit. That is something I definitely will not miss.”

“But you’ll miss the rest of me.”

“Don’t push it.”

“Speaking of, as you so eloquently put it, ‘psychological bullshit’,” Jayden said. “I have to tell you, Blake, when I first met you, I couldn’t help but profile you.”

The detective smirked, amused by this information.

“Oh yeah? And what did your schmancy profile tell you about me?” he asked.

“You immediately struck me as an unbalanced psychopathic asshole.”

Blake’s smile vanished and was replaced by his usual scowl.

“I see,” he said through gritted teeth.

“But, the thing is, I was sort of...wrong. I mean, yeah, you’re still an asshole,” Jayden chuckled as Blake swore at him under his breath. “But working alongside you, completing the trials, and reading the report about what transpired between you and Shelby up on the conveyor belt, I realize that my first impression was merely the front you put on for people. You’re really something more than that.”

“More than that?” Blake repeated. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve done a lot of research and studying in my criminal profiling training. Of all the materials I’ve read and terms I’ve learned, I think there’s one that best describes my view of you now,” Jayden walked over to where Blake was seated and extended his hand for a handshake. “And that word is: friend.”

Blake eyed the agent’s hand for a brief moment before reaching out his hand to shake Jayden’s. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Jayden had pulled the detective into a hug. The agent couldn’t quell his laughter upon seeing Blake’s prominent scowl when he released him from the embrace. _If looks could kill, I would have been dead ten times over._

“You’re lucky I only have one good hand right now, otherwise, I would have strangled you,” Blake said. “But, I suppose, I shouldn’t do that to my _friend_.”

Jayden grinned.

“Coming from you, that is the utmost compliment,” he said.

“Damn right it is,” Blake grumbled.

Despite his rough tone, Jayden saw the corners of his lips curl up in a smile. But, just as soon as the smile appeared, it vanished. The agent’s smile also faltered.

“Uh, Blake? Something wrong?”

Blake shoved his good hand in his pocket and his casted hand hung down at his side.

“Well, _friend,”_ the detective paused, clearing his throat. “If you’re ever out this way again, we should, uh, well, you know, grab a beer or something.”

Jayden raised an eyebrow as he watched Blake. The detective shifted his weight uncomfortably and stared at the agent’s shoulder instead of maintaining eye contact. _That’s odd. He seems awfully nervous to be asking me out for a friendly outing to grab a beer._ Jayden swallowed, his heart fluttering in his chest. _Unless he’s not asking me out as a friend, but as something more, but with a failsafe option to pass it off as a friendly gesture if I wasn’t interested. Holy shit!_

“What, do you mean like a date?” Jayden folded his arms across his chest, eyeing the detective.

“Why? Would _you_ consider it a date?” Blake asked back.

_Nice try, Blake. You’re not going to get that information out of me that easily._

“I asked you first,” Jayden replied.

“Well, fine, if that’s how you’re going to act, you can just forget about his whole friendship thing-” the agent rolled his eyes and shook his head as Blake spoke.

Taking a step forward, Jayden grabbed a hold of Blake’s coat lapels and crashed his lips into the older man’s. Much to the agent’s delight-and surprise-the detective kissed him back. When they broke apart, Jayden stayed silent, watching and waiting for Blake’s response.

“I...I’ve never done that before,” Blake stumbled over his words.

“You better not mean kissing,” Jayden replied.

The detective shot him a look.

“Of course not!” he grumbled. “I just meant...with, you know, a _guy_.”

“And...your thoughts are?”

“I’m not in to men. I don’t go that way,” Blake said.

Jayden’s face fell. _Did...did I really read him wrong? If I did, I’m dead. I’m absolutely dead._

“But,” the detective continued. “You know? I haven’t had any luck finding the right woman. Maybe it’s because the right woman for me isn’t a woman at all.”

Before Jayden could respond in delight, Blake repeated the agent’s actions from only moments ago and grabbed Jayden’s shirt lapels and crashed his lips to the younger man’s.

 _Nailed it_. That was the last coherent thought either man had for the rest of the night.


End file.
